Politics|House Jan. 6 Inquiry Subpoenas Roger Stone and Alex Jones
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/us/politics/house-jan-6-inquiry-subpoenas-roger-stone-and-alex-jones.html
The House prime committee summoned 5 much allies of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump arsenic it dug further into the readying and financing of rallies earlier the attack.
Nov. 22, 2021, 5:53 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol issued 5 caller subpoenas Monday, targeting allies of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump who helped gully crowds to Washington up of the riot, including the governmental operative Roger Stone and the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
The subpoenas, which travel aft the committee has interviewed much than 200 witnesses, bespeak that investigators are intent connected learning the details of the readying and financing of rallies connected Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 that drew Mr. Trump’s supporters to Washington based connected his lies of a stolen election, fueling the unit that engulfed Congress and delayed the formalization of President Biden’s victory.
“We request to cognize who organized, planned, paid for, and received funds related to those events, arsenic good arsenic what communications organizers had with officials successful the White House and Congress,” said Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and president of the committee.
Mr. Stone promoted his attendance astatine the rallies the time earlier and the time of the riot, and solicited enactment to wage for information done the website stopthesteal.org. While successful Washington, helium utilized members of the Oath Keepers arsenic idiosyncratic information guards, astatine slightest 1 of whom has been indicted connected charges that helium was progressive successful the onslaught connected the Capitol.
Mr. Jones reportedly helped signifier the rally astatine the Ellipse adjacent the White House that instantly preceded the onslaught connected the Capitol, including by facilitating a donation to supply what helium described arsenic “80 percent” of the funding, the committee said. He has said that helium was told by White House officials that helium was to pb a march to the Capitol, wherever Mr. Trump would conscionable the radical and speak, according to the committee.
Mr. Stone and Mr. Jones were among the radical of Trump allies gathering successful and astir the Willard Intercontinental Hotel adjacent the White House successful the time preceding the riot.
Mr. Stone, a longtime Trump adviser, was seen flashing his signature Nixon triumph motion to fans arsenic members of the Oath Keepers protected him. He was besides photographed connected Jan. 5 with Michael Flynn, the erstwhile National Security Adviser who has besides been subpoenaed, but Mr. Stone has claimed that helium was leaving municipality arsenic rioters stormed the Capitol. Mr. Stone said helium decided against a program to “lead a march” from the White House Ellipse to the Capitol connected Jan. 6 but decided against it, according to video posted to societal media.
Mr. Jones conducted an interrogation of Mr. Flynn from the Willard connected Jan. 5 and past was seen among the assemblage of Mr. Trump’s supporters the adjacent day, amplifying mendacious claims of wide fraud with a bullhorn. ¶
The committee is besides demanding documents and grounds from Dustin Stockton and his fiancé, Jennifer Lawrence, who reportedly assisted successful organizing a bid of rallies aft the November 2020 predetermination advancing mendacious claims astir the election’s outcome.
Mr. Stockton reportedly was acrophobic that the rally astatine the Ellipse would pb to a march to the Capitol that would mean “possible danger” which helium said “felt unsafe,” and these concerns were escalated to Mark Meadows, the White House main of staff, the committee said.
The committee besides issued a subpoena to Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for Mr. Trump, who reportedly solicited nonprofit organizations to behaviour a societal media and vigor advertizing run encouraging attendance astatine the Jan. 6 Ellipse rally and advancing unsupported claims astir the effect of the election, the committee said.
The subpoenas request that each 5 individuals nutrient documents and grounds by mid-December.
The subpoenas travel arsenic the committee is engaged successful a conflict to compel immoderate allies of Mr. Trump to comply with its investigation. One Trump ally, Stephen K. Bannon, has been charged with national crimes aft refusing to comply with a committee subpoena, portion members of the committee person said they are considering recommending contempt of Congress charges beryllium brought against 2 different imaginable witnesses: Mr. Meadows and Jeffrey Clark, a erstwhile Department of Justice lawyer progressive successful Mr. Trump’s frenzied plans to overturn the election.