A federal grand jury investigating the events surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, the New York Times, CNN and ABC News report.
Cipollone and his legal team are reportedly expected to attempt to negotiate with the feds over the terms of the ex-White House officials’ appearance, claiming concerns about executive privilege.
The subpoena appears to indicate that the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 probe is steadily intensifying given how deeply Cipollone was entrenched in then-President Donald Trump’s inner circle at the White House — and therefore a major witness to both Trump’s attempt to steal the 2020 election and his refusal to respond to the Capitol attack.
Cipollone was also subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 Committee. He testified in front of the panel in a private interview last month, and the committee has presented clips of the ex-White House lawyer’s testimony during its public hearings.
Other top officials (more specifically, ex-Vice President Mike Pence’s senior aides) who witnessed Trump’s plot to overturn the election, particularly his fake elector scheme, have testified in front a federal grand jury under subpoena.
Former Pence chief of staff Marc Short and his counsel, Greg Jacob, appeared in front of a grand jury in D.C. last month.
