“Two days ago, you filed a response in which you denied many factual claims made in the impeachment article,” wrote Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland. “So, you tried to put critical facts in question, despite the clear and overwhelming evidence of your constitutional violation. In light of your challenge to these factual allegations, I write to invite you to testify under oath before or during the impeachment trial. in the Senate, regarding his conduct on January 6, 2021. “
It was not immediately clear how Trump would respond to the request or whether he would consider testifying. Senior advisers convinced Trump not to go to the House floor to defend himself before his second impeachment in January, a similar tactic he considered the first time he was impeached.
The House letter did not threaten to summon Trump if he did not appear voluntarily, although Raskin suggested that managers would use his refusal against him, writing: “We reserve any and all rights, including the right to establish in court that your refusal to testify supports a strong adverse inference about their actions. “
Raskin declined to comment on Thursday when asked if he would subpoena Trump if he refused to appear.
The question of whether House administrators would seek witnesses was hovering over the start of next week’s trial, as senators from both parties have been calling for a quick trial so the Senate can move on and work on President Joe’s agenda Biden. But House administrators and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remained silent on the issue of witnesses until Thursday’s letter.
While Trump’s testimony at a Senate trial would create a moment made for TV at the trial, it is unclear whether that would change the outcome of the trial. Forty-five of the 50 Republican senators voted last week to support the trial’s rejection on the grounds that a former president’s impeachment trial is unconstitutional.
Asked on Thursday whether House administrators were heading towards a likely acquittal from Trump because of that vote, Pelosi replied, “They don’t know that.”
“Why don’t we wait and let them present their case,” said Pelosi. “If we do not proceed with this, we can remove any penalty from the Constitution.”
The House accused Trump last month on charges of inciting the Capitol insurrection. In a pre-trial petition filed on Tuesday, House impeachment managers accused Trump of being “uniquely responsible” for the deadly riots, saying that Trump’s actions spreading false conspiracy theories that the election was stolen prompted his supporters to attack the Capitol and try to stop the peaceful transfer of power, preventing Congress from certifying the election.
Trump’s lawyers argued in a legal document on Tuesday that the Senate impeachment trial was unconstitutional because Trump was no longer president and that Trump did not incite troublemakers. Trump’s legal team also argued that Trump’s speech was protected by the First Amendment, while arguing that Trump’s false claims about the election could not be proven inaccurate.
In Thursday’s letter, Raskin asked Trump to testify sometime between Monday and Thursday next week. The trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
This story was updated with further developments on Thursday.
CNN’s Kaitlan Colins contributed to this report.