Jan. 6: Special Counsel Subpoenas Swing States

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Facts

  • Special counsel Jack Smith has reportedly issued grand jury subpoenas to local officials in several key presidential swing states – Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – for any communications with former Pres. Donald Trump, his campaign, and a series of allies who allegedly aided his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
  • Smith’s first-known subpoenas were sent to officials in Milwaukee and Dane counties in Wisconsin; Wayne County, Michigan; Maricopa County, Arizona; and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
  • The subpoenas reportedly mention many Trump associates, including Rudolph Giuliani, Bernard Kerik, Joe DiGenova, Kenneth Chesebro, and Sidney Powell.
  • Smith was appointed last month by US Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Dept. of Justice’s investigation into the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021, and the presence of classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, which were found during an FBI search in August.
  • These subpoenas are seemingly part of an effort to broaden the Jan. 6 investigation beyond people who directly took part in the riots to those who may have been involved beforehand.
  • According to a copy of one subpoena published by the Washington Post on Tuesday, the requested information is to be sent to the FBI by Dec. 9.

Sources: Washington Post, Associated Press, and News Max.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. The investigations over Jan. 6 and Trump’s possession of classified documents were gathering steam before Smith came in. Now they seem to be ramping up and drilling down on the former president’s role in these scandals. The breadth of these subpoenas should be able to gather enough information to charge Trump criminally.
  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Federalist. Smith, a known Democratic hack with a history of persecuting Republicans, is being used by Garland to carry out a political hitjob on Trump ahead of his 2024 run for president. It’s dangerous when an administration investigates its political opponents for exercising their right to free speech, which was all Trump did when he objected to the 2020 election results.