The January 6 panel will summon Donald Trump to testify

(CNN) – The House Select Committee to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol has voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump to present documents and testimony during a public hearing Thursday.

The decision is a major escalation by the committee that will stage a confrontation with the former president.

Trump is not expected to comply with the subpoena, but the action serves as a way for the committee to set a precedent and show that it wants direct information from Trump while the committee investigates the attack. Voting took place at the end of Thursday’s hearing.

The subpoena is sure to launch a drawn-out court battle over Trump’s potential compliance, which could last even the committee itself. Republicans have promised to shut down the Democratic-led committee if they regain a majority in the House of Representatives in next month’s midterm elections.

Trump has previously mocked the committee, calling it an “unelected committee of political thugs and hackers” and said its members were “evil, evil, and unpatriotic.” He also complained that the “party kangaroo court” proceedings, “did not allow for due process, nor cross-examination of witnesses, and no actual Republican member of the witnesses to be present or interviewed.”

Early in the hearing, Democratic Representative Benny Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee, announced that Thursday’s public hearing has been changed to a working meeting, a technical difference but meaning the committee can vote on investigative measures.

NBC was the first to report on the plan.

Thursday’s session is expected to be the last before the midterm elections.