Various sources who have knowledge of the situation say that grand jury subpoenas have been sent to dozens of people in the inner circle of former President Donald Trump. This is because the Justice Department is stepping up its criminal investigation into what happened on Jan 6, 2021.
CNN says that Bill Stepien, who was Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, and Sean Dollman, who was Trump’s chief financial officer for his 2020 presidential campaign, are two people who have been subpoenaed.
According to a source who knows about the situation, a subpoena was sent to Trump’s former deputy chief of staff; Dan Scavino. Scavino didn’t answer when asked for a comment.
Two sources familiar with the subpoena targets say that more than 30 people with ties to Trump have received subpoenas in the past few days. The subpoenas asked for documents. In some cases, the subpoena requests the witnesses to testify in front of a grand jury in Washington, DC.
The flurry of subpoenas and other investigative activity happened in the days before the Justice Department started its standard pre-election quiet period. This is a 60-day period before the midterm election. The department usually tries to avoid taking overt investigative action in politically sensitive probes to avoid looking like it is trying to influence the election.
Some of the subpoenas were very broad and asked for information on many different things. Information including but not limited to the fake elector scheme, Trump’s primary fundraising and political organization, Save America PAC, the planning of the Trump rally on Jan 6, and any communications with a long list of people who worked to change the results of the 2020 election.
It also wants to talk to anyone in the Justice Department. CNN reported that investigators are looking into how former DOJ lawyer Jeffrey Clark helped Trump promote alleged claims about election fraud.
The subpoenas want to talk to some of the same people named in subpoenas that were served to fake electors in different states earlier this year. These include former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Victoria Toensing, as well as Boris Epshteyn, an adviser to Trump’s 2020 campaign.
Some of the subpoenas re-requested information that the people had already given to the House select committee. The House select committee looked into the attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6.
Bernard Kerik, a former police commissioner in New York City who worked with Giuliani in the weeks after the 2020 election to find evidence of voter fraud, also got a subpoena for documents and testimony, according to his lawyer.
Tim Parlatore, Kerik’s lawyer, saw plenty of subpoenas. This looks different because it doesn’t go anywhere. Most of the time, it’s very targeted, Parlatore stated.
Brian Jack, the last White House political director who worked for Trump, was also called to testify, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Amy Kremer, the chair of Women for America First, said in a tweet over the weekend that her group had also been sent a broad subpoena. Women for America First was in charge of the Trump rally in front of the White House, and her lawyer said the same in public.