Letters to the Editor: Fine, subpoena Trump. Just don't expect to learn anything

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, deliver remarks during a hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack On the United States Capitol has spent nearly a year conducting more than 1,000 interviews, reviewed more than 140,000 documents day of the attack. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Members of the House Jan. 6 committee hold their final scheduled public hearing on Oct. 13. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: About all the House Jan. 6 committee is likely to learn by subpoenaing former President Trump and having him testify is which of three stock responses he favors most:

  • "I take the 5th amendment."

  • "I don't recall."

  • "This investigation is a witch hunt."

OK, he may throw in an occasional attack on selected committee members, the better to stoke the demagogic drama he relishes.

There is just one thing the panel can realistically expect to gain by subpoenaing Trump: Video footage that demonstrates how a deranged narcissist remains bent on burying the truth.

Sarah S. Williams, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: Watching Thursday's Jan. 6 hearing, I found myself weeping. After the clips and comments and several hours of riveting testimony, what so powerfully impressed was the detailed examination of how one of the most wrenching, perilous days in my life as an American was executed.

Of the many threats cast upon this country over the years, none has affected me as deeply as this insurrection. It gives me the sickening feeling of a cancer that is too close to home. Since that day in 2021, I have not enjoyed the normal deep comfort of knowing that I, as an American, am safe and free.

I hope and pray that our "rock," the Constitution, will remain in the hands of people who truly know, respect and love freedom, and are willing to abide by the rules necessary to protect it. It will take a near miracle to manage, but oh, we must try.

Blessings to those who exposed a real danger to the rest of us.

Sylvia Lewis Gunning, Thousand Oaks

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.