The House Jan. 6 committee unanimously voted Thursday to subpoena former President Donald Trump to testify under oath a summons he will very likely defy.

The committee, which is investigating Trumps attempt to thwart the results of the 2020 election and hang on to the presidency in 2021, held the vote during what is expected to be its final hearing before next months midterm elections.

We must seek the testimony under oath of Jan. 6s central player, committee vice chair Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, said at the hearing.

We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion, and every American is entitled to those answers, she continued.

Trump reacted to the subpoena on Truth Social , the social media platform he uses since getting kicked off Twitter, Facebook and others.

Why didnt the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago? he wrote. Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting? Because the Committee is a total BUST that has only served to further divide our Country which, by the way, is doing very badly - A laughing stock all over the World?

Sources revealed the plans for a subpoena to NBC News and The New York Times ahead of the vote.

Trump is expected to defy the subpoena, which would require him to sit for questioning about his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. His supporters carried out the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in the name of a voter fraud conspiracy theory, which Trump repeatedly pushed on them after losing the election to Joe Biden .

A source who provided the information to the Times said committee members felt they had to take this aggressive action because of Trumps pivotal role in the ordeal.

Cheney suggested as much at Thursdays hearing.

The central cause of Jan. 6 was one man: Donald Trump, she said.