Special counsel subpoenas, grand jury appearances mount for Trump allies
Written by ABC AUDIO on January 12, 2023
(WASHINGTON) — Within the last month, multiple associates of former President Donald Trump received new wide-ranging subpoenas from Special Counsel Jack Smith requesting documents and records far more expansive than the previous outreaches these individuals received from the Department of Justice before Smith’s appointment, ABC News has learned.
The subpoenas, which were described to ABC News by sources who received them, include questions about fundraising efforts and talking points leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The special counsel is also requesting information on how individuals are paying for any legal representation, either by themselves or via an outside party — something that came into question when a former aide to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, told the House Jan. 6 committee that she changed attorneys because her first counsel was being paid through funds linked to the former president.
As ABC News first reported last year, the special counsel is seeking information about the Trump-aligned Save America Super PAC — but the newly expanded subpoena goes even further, requesting information about multiple Trump-aligned fundraising vehicles and groups that have formed since Trump entered the political arena, including Turning Points USA, a right-wing group that targets younger GOP voters.
In addition, sources close to the former president said that within the last few weeks, more individuals have appeared before a federal grand jury — with some of them returning for a second time after having appeared before.
Sources told ABC News that the recent appearances were requested by the special counsel’s team. A source with direct knowledge of the matter described one grand jury appearance as “far more intense than round one.”
Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor and former head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, was tapped in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving office.
The appointment of the special counsel was triggered by Trump’s announcement that he is running for president for a third time, which created a conflict of interest, according to the DOJ special counsel guidelines.
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