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Panel Subpoenas 11 in Capitol Riot Inquiry, Eyeing Jan. 6 Rally Planners - The New York Times

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The second round of subpoenas issued by the House select committee investigating the attack signaled that it was moving aggressively to go after crucial witnesses.

WASHINGTON — The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack issued 11 more subpoenas on Wednesday, targeting allies of President Donald J. Trump who were involved in the planning and organizing of the “Stop the Steal” rally that fueled the mob violence on Jan. 6.

The subpoenas indicated that the committee was trying to delve deeper into their investigation of the rally, when thousands came to the Capitol as Mr. Trump tried to pressure Congress and his own vice president, Mike Pence, to overturn the election results. The pro-Trump group Women for America First organized the gathering at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, when an agitated audience listened as Mr. Trump made clear that he was furious with Mr. Pence for resisting his plan to undermine the election and that he wanted the crowd to go to the Capitol immediately afterward in protest.

It was there that they heard Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani call for “trial by combat” against Democrats to win the election.

The panel sent subpoenas to Amy Kremer, the chairwoman of Women for America First, which helped plan the rally near the White House on Jan. 6; Caroline Wren, a Trump fund-raiser, who was listed as a “V.I.P. adviser” for the event; Cindy Chafian, another organizer; Hannah Salem Stone, who managed logistics; and Justin Caporale, a former top aide to Melania Trump, the first lady, who was listed as a “project manager” for the rally.

The committee also sent subpoenas to Katrina Pierson, Mr. Trump’s former national campaign spokeswoman; Kylie Jane Kremer, the daughter of Amy Kremer and the director of Women for America First; Lyndon Brentnall, the owner of a Florida-based security company who was the “on-site supervisor” for the rally; Maggie Mulvaney, a niece of the former top Trump aide Mick Mulvaney, who is listed on the permit for the event; Megan Powers, an operations manager; and Tim Unes, whose company was listed as the stage manager for the gathering.

Ms. Pierson, the House committee said, was reportedly involved in organizing the rallies on Jan. 5 and 6, and was in direct communication with Mr. Trump about them.

“You assisted in organizing the rally held at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, in support of then-President Trump and his allegations of election fraud,” Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the committee, wrote in letters accompanying the subpoenas. “President Trump spoke at the rally shortly before the attack on the Capitol, urging the crowd to ‘fight much harder’ and ‘stop the steal.’”

The gathering quickly led to violence as rioters stormed the Capitol, where Congress was meeting to formalize Mr. Biden’s election. They chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” threatened to shoot Speaker Nancy Pelosi and forced lawmakers to evacuate the building. About 140 police officers were injured, and several people died in connection with the riot.

In addition to the Jan. 6 rally, Women for America First organized two gatherings at Freedom Plaza in Washington on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, and two “March for Trump” bus tours that generated interest and attendance at the events, the select committee said.

The subpoenas seek a range of records that include materials dealing with planning, funding and participation in the rallies and bus tours; social media activity of associated entities; and communications with Trump officials and lawmakers.

The subpoenas are the second batch that the panel has issued, after an initial tranche that focused on some of Mr. Trump’s closest allies who were in contact with him before and during the deadly attack. The speed with which the committee is issuing the subpoenas indicates that it is moving aggressively, without pausing to negotiate with key witnesses.

Mr. Thompson has said that the panel plans to dig deeper into Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn President Biden’s victory, and to explore who encouraged militia and extremist groups to come to Washington before the assault.

The committee last week sought information from Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff; Dan Scavino Jr., who was a deputy chief of staff; Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former adviser; and Kash Patel, the former Pentagon chief of staff.

It demanded that the four men turn over documents by Oct. 7 and submit to depositions the following week.

“Everyone has a legal duty to comply with the subpoenas,” Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland and a member of the committee, said this week. “We have every reason to expect that they will comply.”

The panel has also started reaching out to 70 criminal defendants who have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the Capitol attack, though it remains unclear how many of them have been contacted and how they might ultimately give interviews to investigators.

One of the defendants the group has sought out is Scott Fairlamb, a New Jersey gym owner who pleaded guilty in August to assaulting police officers during the attack, according to his lawyer, Harley Breite.

Mr. Breite, who received an email from the committee last week, said he would be in Washington on Thursday to consult with Mr. Fairlamb about whether he wanted to speak with investigators.

The latest subpoenas came as the panel demanded detailed records about Mr. Trump’s every movement and meeting on Jan. 6, in requests to federal agencies that suggested that it was focusing on any involvement he might have had in the planning or execution of the attack.

The committee also sent record preservation demands last month to 35 technology companies, according to several people familiar with the documents who spoke about their contents on the condition of anonymity. About a dozen House Republicans are among hundreds of people whose records the committee is seeking to preserve, including Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, who has threatened to retaliate against any company that complies.

Alan Feuer contributed reporting.

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