DLNews Politics:

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed former President Donald Trump on Thursday. It is a rare escalation of the investigation.

Earlier, the congressional committee sought to hold Trump more accountable for the attack with new evidence. "We have an obligation to demand answers directly from the man who set this all in motion," Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said, explaining the push.

If Trump does not comply with the subpoena for testimony under oath, the House of Representatives could charge him with contempt of Congress at the Justice Department. For example, Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon has already been convicted.

However, time is running out. A new House of Representatives will be elected on Nov. 8. By the end of the year - before the newly elected House of Representatives begins its work in January - the committee must have completed its work.

Trump can now send his lawyers to court to fight the subpoena. And even if Trump does comply with the summons, he can refuse to testify by taking the "Fifth" to avoid incriminating himself. Several of his confidants had used this right during questioning by the committee.

In an initial reaction, Trump did not comment on how he would proceed but only criticized the timing of the subpoena.

Documents and videos reveal more details.

To describe the president's thinking, the committee showed new material, including interviews with Trump's top advisers and Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr, and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, in which the president admitted he had lost.

In addition, previously unreleased footage was shown of members of Congress calling officials for help during the attack, while Trump refused to call off the mob.

Documents were also released showing that the Secret Service, tasked with Trump's security, was aware of attack plans among supporters as early as late December. Internal messages turned over to the committee also show that Secret Service surveillance found that many of the Trump supporters present at the appearance were armed.

Still, the White House and Trump would not have attempted to stop the appearance or the march on the Capitol.

Trump's supporters stormed the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021. Congress had formally met there to certify Biden's victory in the presidential election. As a result of the riots, five people were killed.

In recent months, the committee has already uncovered some astonishing details. Now, among other things, recordings were seen for the first time. Moreover, the House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi, tries to organize protection by the National Guard or units of the Department of Defense by telephone during the attack. Trump, meanwhile, did nothing for hours - even against calls from confidants - to stop his supporters, members of the committee stressed. Yet he had been informed about the events, they said.