The House committee investigating the Capitol riot announced a new wave of subpoenas targeting high-profile associates of former President Donald Trump involved in his efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of the 2020 election.
Rudy Giuliani, who was Trump’s personal lawyer and led Trump’s 2020 election legal team, was sent a subpoena along with lawyers Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, as well as Republican strategist Boris Epshteyn. The committee said it seeks documents and deposition testimony from each of them.
“The four individuals we’ve subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,” Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat said in a statement.
RAY EPPS TO SIT FOR TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW WITH JAN. 6 COMMITTEE
“We expect these individuals to join the nearly 400 witnesses who have spoken with the Select Committee as the committee works to get answers for the American people about the violent attack on our democracy,” Thompson wrote.
Giuliani, a former mayor of New York City, was informed in a letter the committee was issuing him a subpoena to “produce” documents by Feb. 1. “The Select Committee’s investigation has revealed credible evidence that you publicly promoted claims that the 2020 election was stolen and participated in attempts to disrupt or delay the certification of the election results based on your allegations,” Thompson said.
The letters to the others offered insight into what the Jan. 6 panel is interested in talking about with them.
According to public reporting, Ellis “prepared and circulated two memos,” which claimed “to analyze the constitutional authority” for former Vice President Mike Pence to be able to “reject or delay counting electoral votes from states that had submitted alternate slates of electors,” her letter said.
The Select Committee issued subpoenas to Rudolph Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Boris Epshteyn.
The four individuals advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn election results, or were in direct contact with the former President.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) January 18, 2022
Powell, who represented former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn in his legal fight with the Justice Department, “actively promoted claims of election fraud on behalf of former President Trump in litigation and public appearances,” the letter to her said.
Epshteyn’s letter said he reportedly was sighted attending “meetings at the Willard Hotel in the days leading up to January 6” and that he had “participated in a call with former President Trump on the morning of January 6.”
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The Jan. 6 committee has issued a flurry of subpoenas to other people in Trump’s orbit, including Steve Bannon, who was indicted by a federal grand jury for defying a subpoena from the committee, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has been referred to the Justice Department for prosecution for not fully cooperating with a subpoena.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany recently appeared before the committee. The House select committee also issued subpoenas to four major social media companies Thursday as it questions the role of “misinformation” in provoking the violence and what the companies knew about the riot or the “spread of extremism that enabled the attack.”
