As my colleague David Kurtz unpacked in today’s Morning Memo, there’ve been reports in the last few days that suggest that special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the 2020 election and Jan. 6 is very much alive and well post-Mar-a-Lago indictment — including reports of some key immunity deals.
NBC News has another report this afternoon offering an additional datapoint.
At least five or six Secret Service agents have given testimony before the grand jury in the DOJ’s Jan. 6 inquiry looking at Donald Trump’s alleged role in the insurrection and efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, NBC News reported, citing two sources familiar with the testimony. The agents were reportedly subpoenaed, but the content of the subpoenas and testimony remain unclear. It’s also not known whose security details the agents were serving under — whether they were agents close to Trump or someone else.
There are a few reasons why Secret Service testimony is of note. Obviously, knowing what agents may be able to recall about the behavior of administration officials in the days leading up to Jan. 6 would be of interest, especially given the fact that all the text messages sent between agents on Jan. 5 and 6 have been lost, due to what DHS has described as a pre-planned software update.
But there’s also the testimony from former Mark Meadows staffer Cassidy Hutchinson who told the House Jan. 6 select committee about information she learned about secondhand regarding Trump’s conduct on Jan. 6 as he allegedly tried to get agents to drive him to the Capitol as rioters marched on the building. If you recall, Hutchinson testified that she was told that Trump physically tried to grab the steering wheel of the car and lunged at Secret Service agent Bobby Engel.
Trump has denied the incident, but the episode may be of interest to Smith’s probe.
The Best Of TPM Today
Here’s what you should read this evening:
Fog Of War: The Big Questions Around The Wagner Mutiny
New from Josh Kovensky: Laura Ingraham Rushed To Defend Alito — But Didn’t Mention She’d Stayed At Same Lodge Owned By Mutual Friend
Supreme Court Denies Louisiana’s Fast-Track Attempt To Keep Map That Dilutes Black Voters’ Power
Scenes from the Wagner Mutiny That Shook Russia
MTG Finds It ‘Unfortunate’ That Everyone Now Knows She Called Boebert A ‘Little B*tch’
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Remnick on Putin — Josh Marshall
What We Are Reading
Kansas attorney general sues to stop trans people from changing their birth certificates — NBC News
Ron DeSantis says he’ll end birthright citizenship as president — Miami Herald
Supreme Court lets lawsuits over team doctor’s sexual abuse proceed against Ohio State — AP
