Wisconsin House Speaker sues to block subpoena from Jan. 6 committee

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) filed a lawsuit in federal court Sunday seeking to block a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol to testify about a July phone call from former President Trump.

Vos filed the motion Sunday, ahead of the requested deposition scheduled for Monday morning.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the select committee, said in a letter dated Friday that the panel wanted information about a July phone call in which Trump reportedly asked the Wisconsin lawmaker to retroactively change the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.  

The call came on the heels of a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that disallowed most absentee ballot drop boxes that aren’t located in election offices, effective for elections that fell after the ruling.

Trump in July took to his Truth Social platform to urge Vos to act on the ruling and hint at endorsing Vos’s primary challenger — which he ultimately did after Vos resisted his requests. 

“Robin, don’t let the voters of Wisconsin down!” Trump wrote.  

The Jan. 6 committee in its subpoena asked for Vos to give a deposition about his call with Trump and the surrounding circumstances. 

Vos ultimately won his primary against his Trump-backed opponent, but he has continued to publicly support the former president, according to The Washington Post. 

The Wisconsin state lawmaker’s testimony before the House select committee has been delayed as his motion to block the subpoena awaits a judge’s decision.