Update (Feb. 1, 2022): According to reporting from ABC News, one of the many Trump associates subpoenaed by the committee investigating last January’s Capitol riots has turned over text messages to the committee. ABC News said an anonymous source familiar with the investigation told them the associate is former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. According to that source, text messages from McEnany’s phone were quoted in a recent letter the committee sent to Ivanka Trump.
“1 – no more stolen election talk,” Fox News host Sean Hannity texted McEnany, according to the records. “2- Yes, impeachment and the 25th amendment are real and many people will quit.”
“Love that. Thank you. That is the playbook. I will help reinforce….,” McEnany replied, according to the documents.
Update (Nov. 9, 2021): A day after six associates of former President Donald Trump were subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, the committee announced 10 more subpoenas. All 10 “served as White House officials at the time of the January 6th attack on the Capitol,” according to the committee. They are:
- Nicholas Luna, who served as the former President’s personal assistant.
- Molly Michael, who served as Special Assistant to the President and Oval Office Operations Coordinator
- Benjamin Williamson, who served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows
- Christopher Liddell, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff
- John McEntee, former White House Personnel Director
- Keith Kellogg, who served as Vice President Pence’s National Security Advisor
- Kayleigh McEnany, former White House Press Secretary
- Stephen Miller, who served as Senior Advisor to the former President
- Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
- Kenneth Klukowski, former Senior Counsel to Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark
“We believe the witnesses subpoenaed today have relevant information and we expect them to comply fully with the Select Committee’s investigation as we work to get answers for the American people,” committee chair Bennie Thompson said in a Tuesday news release.
Also Tuesday, a U.S. district judge ruled the committee can access some of Trump’s White House records. Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected an argument by Trump’s lawyers that telephone records, visitor logs, and other White House documents should be hidden from the committee due to executive privilege.
Original Story (Nov. 8, 2021): The House committee tasked with investigating January’s Capitol riots announced Monday they have subpoenaed six more associates of former President Donald Trump. According to a news release from the committee, the six were “involved in efforts to promote false claims of election fraud or overturn the results of the 2020 election”. They are:
- William Stepien, manager of Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign
- Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the campaign
- Angela McCallum, national executive assistant to the campaign
- John Eastman, a lawyer who advised Trump
- Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser to Trump who talked with Trump ahead of the insurrection
- Bernard Kerik, who the committee says paid for hotel rooms that served as command centers ahead of Jan. 6
“The Select Committee needs to know every detail about their efforts to overturn the election, including who they were talking to in the White House and in Congress, what connections they had with rallies that escalated into a riot, and who paid for it all,” committee chair Bennie Thompson said in the release. “The Select Committee expects all witnesses to cooperate with our investigation.”
Getting subpoenaed Trump associates to cooperate has been a challenge for the committee so far. Last month, the House voted to hold longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt after he refused to comply with his subpoena. The Justice Department has yet to decide whether or not to file criminal charges against Bannon.
Former assistant attorney general Jeffrey Clark declined to be fully interviewed Last Friday, ending a deposition after around 90 minutes. According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, Clark told the committee he would not answer questions based on Trump’s assertion of executive privilege in an ongoing court case.
Meanwhile, the committee is working with other subpoenaed Trump associates to gain testimony, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as well as administration aides Kashyap Patel and Dan Scavino. Members of the committee said they may move to hold these officials in contempt as well if they don’t comply soon.
