Wisconsin GOP speaker sues Jan. 6 committee, asks to block subpoena

Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) on Sunday filed a lawsuit against the Jan. 6 select committee after receiving a subpoena calling him to testify before the committee Monday morning.

Driving the news: In a letter dated Friday, committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) wrote that the committee wished to question Vos regarding a phone call he received this July from former President Trump in which Trump pressured Vos to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results.

• The letter recounts that after Vos told Trump that his request was impossible, the former president derided Vos on social media and endorsed his primary challenger.
• "The circumstances and details regarding your interactions with former President Trump related to the 2020 election are relevant to the Select Committee's investigation and proposed recommendations," Thompson added in the letter.

Lawyers for Vos at Graves Garrett LLC and a representative for the Jan. 6 committee did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

State of play: Vos states in his lawsuit that the subpoena "imposes an undue burden, seeks to infringe on Speaker Vos’ legislative immunity from civil process, lacks a lawful purpose, and was issued from an unlawful Committee."

• The lawsuit noted that Vos received the subpoena summons on Saturday afternoon, giving him less than 48 hours' notice to appear before the committee.
• The lawsuit adds that the "only explanation" for the proposed timeline would be to receive Vos' testimony before the committee's next planned hearing on Wednesday, "so that clips can be edited out to be used in a multimedia show."

• The lawsuit notes that Vos is seeking an injunction to stop the subpoena.

The big picture: Other people who have been called to testify before the committee — including Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, also a gubernatorial candidate, and far-right conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones — have sued the committee, but those suits have either been unsuccessful or remain undecided, per CNN.

Go deeper: Ginni Thomas agrees to interview with Jan. 6 select committee

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional background.