Douglas Jensen is seen wearing a QAnon sweatshirt at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
- Three more subpoenas were issued as part of the House select committee’s probe into the Capitol riot.
- Former White House adviser Ross Worthington, who helped draft Trump’s speech, was subpoenaed.
- Two strategists who advised Donald Trump Jr., Andy Surabian and Arthur Schwartz, were also subpoenaed.
The House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection issued three new subpoenas on Tuesday, including one to a former White House official who helped draft President Donald Trump’s speech on that day.
“The Select Committee is seeking information from individuals who were involved with the rally at the Ellipse. Protests on that day escalated into an attack on our democracy. Protestors became rioters who carried out a violent attempt to derail the peaceful transfer of power,” Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said.
The committee issued a subpoena to Ross Worthington, a former White House adviser, and speechwriter, as well as Andy Surabian and Arthur Schwartz, strategists who served as advisors to Donald Trump, Jr. and were involved in rally planning.
The Associated Press reported that Worthington also previously worked for former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is a Trump ally.
The committee said Surabian and Schwartz were communicating with individuals including Trump, Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle regarding the January 6th Ellipse rally.
“We have reason to believe the individuals we’ve subpoenaed today have relevant information and we expect them to join the more than 340 individuals who have spoken with the Select Committee as we push ahead to investigate this attack on our democracy and ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” Thompson said.
An attorney for Surabian told the AP that he will cooperate with the committee “within reason,” adding that he also doesn’t understand why the subpoena was issued.
“He had nothing at all to do with the events that took place at the Capital that day, zero involvement in organizing the rally that preceded it and was off the payroll of the Trump campaign as of November 15, 2020,” Daniel Bean, an attorney representing Surabian, told the AP.
Schwartz told the AP he had no comment.
In their letter to Worthington, the committee said they had documents that showed he helped write Trump’s speech, specifically parts regarding the false claim that he won the 2020 election.
“President Trump falsely asserted that he had won the 2020 election and urged the crowd to ‘fight much harder’ and ‘stop the steal.’ President Trump also encouraged attendees to march up the Capitol, telling them ‘I’ll be there with you,'” the letter said.
Worthington did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for comment. Insider was unable to reach Surabian, Schwartz, and Worthington at the time of publication.
Thompson on Tuesday also told CNN that the committee wanted to eventually talk to former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, as they seek people in his inner circle.
“He’s an integral part of whatever happens,” Thompson said.
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