The subpoenas, many of which were issued last week, mark a major escalation in the Justice Department’s investigation into the origins of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot and other alleged efforts to stop the transfer of power to then-President-elect Joe Biden. A source familiar with the case described the investigation as massive. The Justice Department is looking into how money was raised and spent in alleged efforts to rig the 2020 election; efforts to submit fake “surrogate” electors to Congress from states Trump lost; and the “Stop The Steal” rally held at the Ellipse, next to the venues of the White House, on January 6, shortly before the Capitol Hill riot. The Justice Department’s investigation into possible mishandling of presidential and classified records found at Trump’s Florida estate is a separate issue. Those subpoenaed included employees and contractors for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee — including poll watchers — according to two sources familiar with the subpoenas. The sources said the identities of those subpoenaed ranged from household names to mostly unknown, low-level field operatives. CBS News confirmed that Trump’s close aide Will Russell received an email subpoena last week. And the New York Times reported last week that former senior White House aides Stephen Miller and Brian Jack also received subpoenas. Jack and an attorney for Russell did not respond to a request for comment. Miller declined to comment through an intermediary. FBI personnel fielded several of the calls early in the morning last Wednesday and Thursday, the sources said, adding that in at least two cases, agents executed search warrants that allowed them to seize people’s cellphones. Virginia-based attorney David A. Warrington, who said he represents about a dozen clients who have been issued subpoenas, said the FBI was “very professional” in serving his clients. He added that the subpoenas his clients received are nearly identical, describing them as lengthy documents divided into sections and subsections. They cover issues related to “alternative” voters and election certification deadlines on Dec. 14 and Jan. 6, the Save America PAC fundraiser and the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally — but not the riot that followed. The subpoenas require the individuals to provide documents and any communications between themselves and Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell and Bernie Carrick, Warrington said. The subpoenas also require recipients to provide any communication with dozens of people who appeared on fake voter plates. At least some of the subpoenas require the recipients to appear before a grand jury on Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C., district court, Warrington said. The mother and daughter of Amy and Kylie Kremer were served summonses last week, according to Warrington. They are listed as “hosts” on the National Park Service permit for the Ellipse Rally on January 6, 2021. Both are part of Women for America First, which on its website tells visitors to “Help us fight back against the January 6 Commission and the DOJ!” Warrington said the Kremers are not connected to the riot in the capital that followed the rally.
