As Trump digs in, majority of Americans say he and his aides should testify about January 6

WASHINGTON – A majority of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should testify before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll.

The poll found 55% of respondents thought Trump should testify, compared with 38% who said he shouldn’t.

Trump filed a federal lawsuit to block the committee from receiving administration documents and urged his aides not to cooperate with the inquiry. He has argued that executive privilege should protect his communications, but President Joe Biden has waived the privilege for the investigation.

Trump ally Steve Bannon defied his subpoena, though he was not employed by the White House at the time of the Capitol attack. The House voted to hold Bannon in contempt and asked the Justice Department to prosecute him.

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On Monday, six more Trump advisers were subpoenaed by the committee, including Trump lawyer John Eastman, who issued a six-point plan to then-Vice President Mike Pence on overturning certified election results.

Twice as many respondents to the poll as not said members of Trump’s administration should testify. The poll, which was released Monday, found 62% of respondents believed members of the Trump administration should testify before the committee, compared with 30% who said they should not.

More than 600 people face criminal charges after a mob stormed the Capitol and temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes that confirmed Biden won the 2020 election.

The House impeached Trump after he was accused of inciting the riot. The Senate acquitted him.

The committee, headed by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is investigating what happened that day leading up to the attack. The panel hasn't publicly called for Trump's testimony, but Thompson pointedly hasn't ruled it out.

The House panel has interviewed 150 people. But Trump is fighting a subpoena to the National Archives and Records Administration for documents such as call logs detailing to whom he spoke as the attack unfolded.

Attorney General Merrick Garland declined Monday to say where the case stood.

“This is a criminal matter, an ongoing examination of the referral,” Garland told USA TODAY. “As you know, the Justice Department doesn’t comment on those. We evaluate these in the normal ways we do – the facts and the law, and applying the principles of prosecution.”

Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark also was subpoenaed, but he declined Friday to answer questions. Thompson said Friday that Clark's "complete failure to cooperate is unacceptable."

Sharp divides by party, race

The results for Trump’s testimony broke sharply along partisan lines. Republican respondents were about twice as likely to oppose Trump’s testimony, 61%-31%. Democrats favored Trump’s testimony 81%-14%.

The results for testimony from Trump’s aides also was split along party lines. Republicans opposed the testimony 52%-38%. Democrats supported testimony from aides 87%-6%.

The results also reflected racial differences in seeking Trump’s testimony. A majority of white respondents favored his testimony – 51%-42% – but Black and Hispanic respondents were more interested in hearing from Trump. Hispanics supported his testimony 59%-35%, and 74% of Black respondents said he should testify, compared with 20% against.

White respondents favored testimony from Trump's aides 59%-33%. Hispanics wanted to hear from aides 69%-23%. And Black respondents supported testimony 77%-13%.

The Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll of 1,000 registered voters was done Nov. 3 to 5 by phone. The results for each response had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poll: Trump, aides should testify at House inquiry about Capitol riot