Washington—Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) today announced that the Select Committee has issued subpoenas to ten former administration officials as part of its investigation into the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee is demanding records and testimony from witnesses including individuals who served as White House officials at the time of the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Chairman Thompson issued the following statement:
“The Select Committee wants to learn every detail of what went on in the White House on January 6th and in the days beforehand. We need to know precisely what role the former President and his aides played in efforts to stop the counting of the electoral votes and if they were in touch with anyone outside the White House attempting to overturn the outcome of the election. We believe the witnesses subpoenaed today have relevant information and we expect them to comply fully with the Select Committee’s investigation as we work to get answers for the American people, make recommendations on changes to the law to protect our democracy, and help ensure that nothing like January 6th ever happens again.”
The Select Committee issued subpoenas for records and testimony to the following individuals:
Nicholas Luna, who served as the former President’s personal assistant, was reportedly in the Oval Office the morning of January 6th, 2021, when the former President was on a phone call to Vice President Pence pressuring him not to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Molly Michael, who served as Special Assistant to the President and Oval Office Operations Coordinator, was involved in sending information about alleged election fraud to various individuals at the direction of President Trump, according to information obtained by the Select Committee.
Benjamin Williamson, who served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, was reportedly contacted by a former White House official during the attack on the U.S. Capitol who urged him and Mr. Meadows, without success, to have the former President issue a statement addressing the attack and condemning the violence.
Christopher Liddell, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff, was in the White House on January 6th and reportedly considered resigning on that day but stayed on “after a great deal of persuasion.”
John McEntee, former White House Personnel Director, was reportedly present in the Oval Office when Rudolph Giuliani, Justin Clark, the former President, and former Vice President Pence discussed the audit process in Georgia and listened as Mr. Giuliani suggested seizing Dominion voting machines because of alleged fraud. Mr. McEntee was also reportedly involved in communications with officials in various federal agencies regarding loyalty to President Trump and specifically discouraged a number of individuals from seeking employment after the election as it would appear to be a concession of President Trump’s defeat. In addition, according to reports, Mr. McEntee was in the White House on January 6th and was with former President Trump when he traveled to the Ellipse and spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally.
Keith Kellogg, who served as Vice President Pence’s National Security Advisor, reportedly participated in at least one January 2021 meeting with the former President and Pat Cipollone during which the former President insisted that former Vice President Pence not certify the election. He was reportedly in the White House with the former President as he watched the January 6th attack unfold and has direct information about the former President’s statements about and reaction to the insurrection. During that day, it is reported that Lt. Gen. Kellogg met with the former President and others before the rally at the Ellipse and then, after the rally, he urged the former President to send out a tweet to his supporters at the U.S. Capitol to help control the crowd.
Kayleigh McEnany, former White House Press Secretary, made multiple public statements from the White House and elsewhere about purported fraud in the November 2020 election. For example, in the first White House press conference after the election, Ms. McEnany claimed that there were “very real claims” of fraud that the former President’s reelection campaign was pursuing, and said that mail-in voting was something that “we have identified as being particularly prone to fraud.” At another press conference, Ms. McEnany accused Democrats of “welcoming fraud” and “welcoming illegal voting.” In addition, Ms. McEnany was reportedly present at times with the former President as he watched the January 6th attack.
Stephen Miller, who served as Senior Advisor to the former President, by his own account participated in efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud in the November 2020 election, as well as efforts to encourage state legislatures to alter the outcome of the November 2020 election by appointing alternate slates of electors.
Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, reportedly was at the White House on January 6th and was with the former President when he spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally that day. She also reportedly reached out directly via email and phone to Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs relating to a trip to Georgia by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to attend an election audit.
Kenneth Klukowski, former Senior Counsel to Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark, was involved in drafting a letter that urged legislatures in certain states to delay certification of the election, according to the report recently released by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The report also states that Mr. Clark contacted Mr. Klukowski to prepare for an Oval Office meeting with the former President that took place on January 3rd, 2021.
The letters to the witnesses can be found here:
- Nicholas Luna
- Molly Michael
- Benjamin Williamson
- Christopher Liddell
- John McEntee
- Keith Kellogg
- Kayleigh McEnany
- Stephen Miller
- Cassidy Hutchinson
- Kenneth Klukowski
