WASHINGTON – A committee investigating the January 6 uprising by the U.S. Congress issued subpoenas Monday to five other individuals, including former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, as lawmakers delve deeper into the protests before the deadly attack.
The subpoena includes requests for documents and testimony from Stone and Jones as well as three people accused of organizing and fueling two protests that took place on January 6.
“The Selection Committee is seeking information on the protests and the ensuing march to the Capitol that escalated into a violent mob that attacked the Capitol and threatened our democracy,” House of Representatives said. Mississippi State Council chair Bennie Thompson said. “We need to know who organized, planned, paid for, and received money in connection with those events, and how the organizers communicated with officials in the White House and Congress.”
Stone was convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation of lying to Congress about efforts to gather inside information about Democratic Party emails hacked by Russia that were pre-published by WikiLeaks. the 2016 presidential election, he was later pardoned by Trump.
The House subpoena notes that Stone spoke at rallies the day before the Capitol uprising and used members of a far-right group, the Oath-Keepers, as security guards. personal protection while he was in Washington.
In a statement, Stone said he has yet to see details of the subpoena but called any allegations of his involvement that day “totally untrue.”
“I have said time and again that I have no prior knowledge of the events that took place at the Capitol that day,” said the conservative provocateur. “Once the subpoena is served and after my attorney reviews the requests, I will decide how I proceed.”
The House committee also wants to hear from Jones, with Thompson saying the conspiracy theorist and talk show host helped organize the January 6 protest in Ellipse before the uprising. The letter from Thompson says Jones has repeatedly promoted Trump’s claims of election fraud, urging his listeners to come to Washington to attend the rally and march from the Ellipse to the Capitol.
An attorney who previously represented Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Three other subpoenas were issued to Dustin Stockton, Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Budowich for allegedly participating in the promotion and organization of a series of protests following the 2020 presidential election that promoted information erroneous election results, including the previous Ellipse rally that violently attacked the Capitol.
Budowich, who is now Trump’s primary spokesman, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The results of the election were confirmed by state officials and upheld by the courts. Trump’s Attorney General, William Barr, said the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have overturned the results.
The committee is seeking information from Stockton and his fiancé, Lawrence, who they say have been involved in organizing some of the protests. The committee alleges Stockton was concerned that the Ellipse rally would lead to “possible danger” and he referred those concerns to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
The panel requested documents and testimony from several other Trump advisers — some who cooperated and some who did not. Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally, was indicted on November 12 on two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied subpoenas from a House committee.
The subpoenas issued Monday are the latest in a wide net that the House panel has issued in its bid to investigate the day when a group of Trump supporters, spurred by claims his false statements about a stolen election, brutally attacked police and smashed into the Capitol to disrupt Democrat Joe Biden’s confirmation of victory.
The committee interviewed more than 150 people across government, social media and law enforcement, including several former Trump aides, who have collaborated. The jury subpoenaed more than 20 witnesses, and most of them, including several associates who helped plan the massive “Stop Theft” rally on the morning of January 6, signaled that they would cooperate.
Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
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