WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol have expanded their probe to include fundraising activities following the 2020 election.
According to the Washington Post, the investigators are seeking to determine if Donald Trump or his associates deceived donors by using false claims about voter fraud to solicit donations.
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office has issued subpoenas to various individuals, including former Trump campaign aides, Republican operatives, and consultants involved in the 2020 presidential campaign, the report said.
Some of these individuals have reportedly given testimony to a grand jury in D.C.
The focus of the investigation is on the money raised between Nov. 3, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021, and whether the fundraising operation violated wire fraud laws.
These laws prohibit making false representations via email to defraud people of their money. Trump’s fundraising emails are known to be aggressive.
The subpoenas are seeking specific types of communication to compare what Trump’s allies and advisers were saying privately about the voter-fraud claims to what they were publicly appealing for, which generated over $200 million in donations from supporters.
