January 6 committee subpoenas Trump-backed congressional candidate

By CNN Newsource

Published December 10, 2021 12:58 PM

By Zachary Cohen, Annie Grayer, Ryan Nobles and Whitney Wild, CNN

The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol issued six additional subpoenas Friday, including one to former aide to former President Donald Trump and current Ohio congressional candidate Max Miller.

The targets in this subpoena group were involved in the planning of the rallies on January 5 and 6 leading up to the violent attack, and the group includes individuals who coordinated the rally planning directly with Trump.

Robert “Bobby” Peede Jr. and Miller met with Trump in his private dining room off of the Oval Office on January 4 to discuss the January 6 rally on the Ellipse and who would be speaking, according to documents and information provided to the committee.

Brian Jack, director of political affairs for Trump, reached out to several members of Congress on behalf of Trump to ask them to speak at that rally on January 6.

Bryan Lewis had a permit for a rally outside the US Capitol on January 6 that was meant to urge Congress to invalidate electoral votes.

Ed Martin, an organizer with the “Stop the Steal” movement, was involved in the financing of the January 6 rally on the Ellipse that occurred directly before the attack on the Capitol.

Kimberly Fletcher is tied to an organization entitled “Moms for America” and helped organize the January 5 rally at Freedom Plaza and the January 6 rally at the Ellipse.

“Some of the witnesses we subpoenaed today apparently worked to stage the rallies on January 5th and 6th, and some appeared to have had direct communication with the former President regarding the rally at the Ellipse directly preceding the attack on the U.S. Capitol,” Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the panel, said in a statement.

All six individuals are required to turn over documents to the committee on December 23, with depositions scheduled throughout the beginning of January.

On Thursday, Miller took to Twitter to say he would accept the subpoena. But he also railed against the committee’s investigation, pledging that one of his first acts as a member of the House would be to help disband the panel.

“Upon taking office, I will make sure one of my first votes is to disband this partisan committee that has weaponized its powers against innocent Americans,” Miller, who has been endorsed by Trump, tweeted. “I will accept service of this subpoena but I will defend my rights just as I will defend the rights on my constituents when elected.”

This latest batch of subpoenas from the committee comes as it has already issued dozens of subpoenas to individuals involved in the rally planning and financing that directly preceded the violent attack on the Capitol.

This story is breaking and will be updated.