Trump wants to testify live in prime-time about January 6th
Actually he doesn't, so call his bluff
Donald Trump threw down the gaunlet over being subpoenaed by the Select Committee on the January 6th Attack on the Capitol; he would consider testifying, if it were live on prime time TV.1 Such an event would supplant the final episode of M*A*S*H* for viewership.2
While the January 6th Committee should call Trump’s bluff and schedule him in, the reason to accept Trump’s offer is more political than legal. And the legal side is fraught with real problems.
First, Trump could perjure himself — pretty easily.
Second, he could make admissions that lead to indictments. Again, pretty easily.
Third, he could connect enough dots to take down multiple Members of Congress and people within his administration (mostly the White House, FBI, Secret Service, and DoD). Trump’s penchant for throwing others under the bus ought to instill terror among his most devout and loyal supporters.
Politically, Trump must do better than Hillary Clinton did in her testimony before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.3 Eleven Hours —Hillary never took the Fifth or pleaded temporary amnesia.
While pleading the Fifth or saying “I don’t recall” will pass muster with his base and the nihilist GOP, it won’t work with the 53% of the electorate that voted against him twice and that 53% includes the nearly 2% who voted Libertarian in 20164 and the more than 1% that did so in 2020. If the bar is to beat Hillary’s Benghazi testimony, it has been set very high.
Trump walking out of the hearing would be equally politically disasterous, although both the political Left and Democrats would enjoy it. Donald Trump has walked out of interviews, meetings, and briefings enough times that it has actually been documented.5 The GOP announced some time ago, it would not participate in presidential debates, mostly because Donald Trump cannot handle being questioned, corrected, or criticized.6
But none of the above scenarios, legal or political, is main reason why Trump will recant his offer should the Select Committee on January 6th tell him “Sure, what date works best for you?”.
It is almost a certainly that Donald Trump will lose it emotionally, mentally, or psychologically. His personality virtually guarantees it. Trying to get his “pound of flesh” before the January 6th Committee7 will lead to a meltdown before an audience of 150 million or so viewers.
Donald Trump, in the 634 days since his term as Presidentt ended, has had the benefit of a very controlled public environment. Campaign rallies, events at Mar-a-Lago, and softball interviews on friendly territory (mostly). He has not “won” those events outside his MAGA minions; and with increasing frequency, Trump has shown signs of mental imbalance.
It’s only a question of time before Donald Trump backs away from his offer to testify as he could lose “bigly” and lose it “bigly”.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-would-testify-to-jan-6-committee-if-he-can-do-it-live-nyt-2022-10
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye,_Farewell_and_Amen#Reaction_and_AfterMASH
https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/10/22/451012235/clinton-endures-an-11-hour-grilling-before-benghazi-committee
A significant portion of people voting Libertrains were Democratic leaning independents who couldn’t stomach voting for Hillary Clinton. Read my election analysis from last November and December to see why.
https://www.newsweek.com/every-interview-donald-trump-walked-out-full-list-piers-morgan-1699661
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/14/1092916451/republicans-say-theyre-quitting-the-biased-commission-on-presidential-debates
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/15/trump-testify-january-6-subpoena-capitol-attack