Jan. 6th committee subpoenas Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, other Trump-allies

On Tuesday, the House select committee currently investigating the January 6 Capitol riot issued additional subpoenas to Rudy Giuliani, another former lawyer for ex-President Donald Trump, as well as two others who were considered to be allies of Trump.

The committee said the subpoenas were aimed at people who also promoted claims of fraudulent conduct in the 2020 election.

Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is serving as the Committee Chairman, said, “The four individuals we’ve subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes.”

Thompson continued, “We expect these individuals to join the nearly 400 witnesses who have spoken with the Select Committee as the committee works to get answers for the American people about the violent attack on our democracy.”

Other than Giuliani, attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, and Trump’s associate Boris Epshteyn, were issued subpoenas this week over their supposed role in encouraging the riot at the Capitol last January by supporting claims of election fraud.

Former New York Mayor Giuliani had led some efforts for Trump following the election to challenge results in individual states where President Joe Biden had apparently been victorious.

Ellis assisted Giuliani in his efforts, and “reportedly prepared and circulated two memos purporting to analyze the constitutional authority for the Vice President [Mike Pence] to reject or delay counting electoral votes from states that had submitted alternate slates of electors,” according to the committee.

The committee added that Powell “actively promoted claims of election fraud on behalf of former President Trump in litigation and public appearances.”

Finally Epshteyn “reportedly attended meetings at the Willard Hotel in the days leading up to January 6th and had a call with former President Trump on the morning of January 6th to discuss options to delay the certification of election results in the event of Vice President Pence’s unwillingness to deny or delay the certification.”