Trump Campaign Officials Sent New Subpoenas Related to Jan. 6: Report
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Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally
A special counsel investigating the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021 has sent new subpoenas to a number of associates of former President Donald Trump, a signal that Justice Department's criminal probe of the events has expanded in scope.
ABC News reports that the subpoenas "include questions about fundraising efforts and talking points leading up to" the attack on the Capitol, and also seek information about how the Trump allies are paying for any legal representation.
RELATED: Former Trump Aides Spotted After Reportedly Testifying Before Jan. 6 Grand Jury
The question of legal representation is one that was raised by former White House Aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots that her first attorney, who she connected with via Trump allies, refused to tell her how her legal bills were being paid for.
When she asked attorney Stefan Passantino how her counsel would be funded, Hutchinson said that the attorney told her, "If you want to know at the end, we'll let you know, but we're not telling people where funding is coming from right now. Don't worry, we're taking care of you."
As Hutchinson explained in her testimony, she was nervous about working with Trump-affiliated attorneys. "I don't like to categorize the world, the Trump world in this way, but in a lot of scenarios that I have been privy to, once you are looped in, especially financially with them, there sort of is no turning back."
Later, she hired a new attorney after she says it became clear that Passantino "doesn't care about what I think is best for me, he's doing what he thinks is best for Trump and the people in Trump's orbit."
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ABC further reports that more Trump allies have appeared before the federal grand jury investigating the riots in recent weeks, and that some of them have returned for second appearances.
Two former Trump White House aides were spotted in October after reportedly testifying in the Justice Department's criminal probe of the riots and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election
Marc Short, the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, and Kash Patel, former adviser and national security aide, were both seen on Thursday at the courthouse where the grand jury was convening, CNN reported at the time.
The New York Times reported in July that Greg Jacob, who served as former Vice President Mike Pence's counsel, also testified before the grand jury.
According to The Washington Post, the new subpoenas also seek communications regarding the voting technology companies Trump and his allies were publicly disparaging in the wake of the election. While it's unclear exactly who received the new subpoenas, The New York Times reports that former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was among them.
