Speaker Vos sues to block subpoena issued by Jan. 6 committee  

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has been subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol seeking information about a call he had with former President Donald Trump two months ago.

On Saturday, Vos was issued the subpoena which he's now suing to block, arguing it infringes on his legislative immunity and lacks purpose, according to court documents. Politico first reported on the subpoena.

“I was surprised to receive a subpoena since I have no information to provide about the events surrounding Jan. 6," Vos said in a statement. "Given how close we are to the midterms, this subpoena seems to be more about partisan politics than actual fact-finding."

Vos' challenge was filed in Eastern District of Wisconsin on Sunday. The subpoena demanded Vos to participate in a virtual deposition Monday about a July phone call where Trump asked Vos and fellow Republicans to decertify the 2020 election.

The deposition was canceled after officials became aware of Vos' lawsuit, according to a source familiar with the House committee. The subpoena from Committee Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson still stands and it's possible the deposition will be rescheduled.

On numerous occasions, Vos has talked to CBS 58 and other media outlets about his conversations with Trump and how there's no legal pathway to decertify the 2020 election in Wisconsin.

On Aug. 3, Vos told CBS 58, "The only people that think somehow we can snap our fingers and magically go back and overturn the 2020 election are people like my opponent, Adam Steen, and President Trump. It's not reality. It cannot happen."

The Rochester Republican also questioned the timing of the subpoena, noting in the suit the committee wants to hold a deposition ahead of the committee's next televised hearing on Wednesday.

"The only explanation for such an extreme timeline is the committee’s desire to conduct the deposition before its next publicly televised hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, so that clips can be edited out to be used in a multimedia show," the lawsuit states.

The suit was assigned to federal chief Judge Pamela Pepper, a former President Obama appointee.