Washington: The Democratic-led select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection has issued its first batch of subpoenas, targeting a spate of Donald Trump associates to uncover more details behind how the insurrection unfolded.
CNN reports that subpoenas were delivered to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former adviser Steve Bannon, former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Kash Patel, a former chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller.
It has been widely reported that Patel was in constant contact with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Jan 6. He was also involved “in discussions among senior Pentagon officials before and during the attack regarding security at the Capitol,” The New York Times reported, citing documents provided by the Defense Department. A day after the attack, Patel had issued a statement denying Trump’s reluctance to deploy the National Guard to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
In the letter issued to Patel, the committee, headed by Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), says that based on documents obtained from the Select Committee and published accounts, “there is substantial reason to believe that you have additional documents and information relevant to understanding the role played by the Department of Defense and the White House in preparing for and responding to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as documents and information relating to your personal involvement in planning for events on January 6 and the peaceful transfer of power.”
According to Politico, Patel’s name has also been brought up in a number of depositions about Trump’s alleged scheme to withhold U.S. military support from Ukraine. It was in this scheme that Trump reportedly sought information from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky that would damage then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign prospects.
After the subpoena, Patel has received racist death threats in recent days, The New York Post has reported.
Patel, Bannon, Meadows and Scavino are commanded to produce relevant documents by Oct. 7 and appear for depositions the following week.
