January 6 select committee subpoenas "Stop the Steal" rally organizers
The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol issued 11 additional subpoenas Wednesday, targeting those who planned the "Stop the Steal" rally where former President Donald Trump urged his supporters to march to the building and protest the certification of the election.
The subpoenas suggest the panel is ramping up its investigation into the rally held on the Ellipse near the White House and how it fueled the violence that played out that day. There, Mr. Trump said he was livid with then-Vice President Mike Pence for his refusal to buy into the president's plans to overturn the election and told his supporters they needed to "show strength" at the Capitol. Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer who also spoke at the rally, called for "trial by combat."
The committee sent subpoenas to to Amy Kremer, the chair of the pro-Trump group Women for America First, which organized the rally on the Ellipse; her daughter Amy Kremer, who is the executive director of the group; and Cynthia Chafian, who submitted the first permit application for the event.
Also in the group subpoenaed were several individuals whose names were listed on permit paperwork for the event, the committee said, including Caroline Wren, listed as a "VIP advisor;' Justin Caporale, listed as "project manager;" Tim Unes, listed as "stage manager;" Megan Powers, listed as "operations manager;" Lyndon Brentnall, listed as "on-site supervisor;" and Maggie Mulvaney, another "VIP advisor" at the event and a niece of former acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
The panel also sent a subpoena to Katrina Pierson, Mr. Trump's former campaign spokesperson, who was reportedly involved in the organization of the rally and was in direct communication with Mr. Trump about it.
"President Trump spoke at the January 6th rally shortly before the attack on the Capitol, urging the crowd to 'fight much harder' and to 'stop the steal,'" Representative Bennie Thompson, the committee's chairman, wrote in letters sent with the subpoenas.
As frustrations heightened, the rally turned into a mob, which marched to the Capitol with some chanting, "Hang Mike Pence." The rioters overran Capitol Police and stormed the building, forcing members of Congress to evacuate and shelter in place. About 140 police officers were injured and five people died.
The subpoenas demand a wide range of materials, from planning documents to communications with the Trump team or lawmakers. The committee asked for the documents and information to be turned over by October 13 and for the subjects to schedule closed-door depositions in the weeks that follow.
The committee last week issued subpoenas to four of Mr. Trump's closest aides and allies, requesting detailed information about the former president's actions on January 6. The previous month, it asked 35 telecommunications and technology companies to preserve records, including those of some members of Congress.