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Actually people fail to comply with subpoenas all the time - that's why there's the remedy of contempt and bench warrants.
The issue in this case is enforcement. Just as there are hundreds of thousands of unenforced bench warrants because the wanted person resides or stays in another jurisdiction, the House apparently lacks the mechanism to enforce a subpoena, or at least has not put it to a definite test. In some US states, such as NY, the lack of ability to enforce a bench warrant is sometimes enough to preclude it.
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