Top Trump Aides Reportedly Preparing to Resist Jan. 6th Subpoenas on Orders of Former President
Screenshot via CNN.
Former President Donald Trump is reportedly instructing several of his top allies to not comply with subpoenas for Congress’ investigation into the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
The Guardian reports that the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack is moving ahead with their subpoenas for former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, and Defense Department aide Kash Patel. The subpoenas order the four to provide documents and private depositions in connection to January 6th. But even though they face criminal prosecution in the event of non-compliance, The Guardian says they are going to resist the orders “because Trump is preparing to direct them to do so.”
“Trump and his legal team, led by the ex-Trump campaign lawyer Justin Clark the former deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin, are moving to instruct the attorneys for the subpoenaed aides to defy the orders,” the report says. “The basis for Trump’s pressing aides to not cooperate is being mounted on grounds of executive privilege, the source said, over claims that sensitive conversations about what he knew in advance of plans to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory should remain secret.”
The four aides have been targeted by the investigation due to revelations that they were with Trump on January 6th, strategized with him in the days beforehand, and because of Patel’s involvement with the Capitol’s security arrangements before and after the riot. Trump urging them to defy the subpoenas means the committee will have to refer this matter to the Justice Department, and the ensuing litigations will present a test of the committee’s capacity to enforce their orders.
On a separate but related note, CNN reports that the committee has been trying to serve its subpoena to Scavino, but they haven’t been able to because they don’t know where he is. This news comes as the subpoena is nearing its deadline for Scavino to comply with their documents request, which is meant to be followed by his deposition.
