House Panel Subpoenas Organizers of Jan. 6 Trump Rally

11 officials subpoenaed
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 30, 2021 1:00 AM CDT
House Panel Subpoenas Organizers of Jan. 6 Trump Rally
In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally in Washington.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

A House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed 11 officials who helped plan rallies in support of former President Donald Trump ahead of the attack, including the massive event on the day of the siege at which the president told his supporters to “fight like hell.” The announcement follows a first round of subpoenas last week that targeted former White House and administration officials who were in contact with Trump before and during the insurrection, the AP reports. The committee said in a release Wednesday that the subpoenas are part of the panel's efforts to collect information from the organizers “and their associated entities on the planning, organization, and funding of those events.”

In letters to the subpoenaed officials, the committee's chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, demanded that they provide documents to the panel by Oct. 13 and appear at separate depositions that the committee has scheduled from late October through the beginning of November. Thompson cites in the letters efforts by representatives of the group Women for America First to organize the rally on Jan. 6 and to collectively communicate with senior White House officials. The subpoenas also mention other events the group planned in the weeks between Trump's November election defeat and the January attack. Included on the list of subpoenas are:

  • Amy Kremer, founder and chair of Women for America First. Kremer, who the committee says was listed as one of several designated points of contact for the rally, denounced the assault in a statement issued on Jan. 6 and said it was instigated after the rally by a “handful of bad actors,” while seeming to blame Democrats and news organizations for the riot. She is also the cofounder of the Women for Trump PAC and the former chair of the Tea Party Express.
  • Kylie Kremer, founder and executive director of Women for America First.
  • Cynthia Chafian, an organizer who submitted the first permit for the rally.
  • Caroline Wren, who the committee says was listed on permit paperwork for the Jan. 6 rally as a “VIP Advisor." Wren, a veteran GOP fundraiser, was a national finance consultant for Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the president’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee. The AP has previously reported that Wren was involved in at least one call before the pro-Trump rally with members of several groups listed as rally participants to organize credentials for VIP attendees.
  • Maggie Mulvaney, who the panel says was listed on the permit as “VIP Lead.” Mulvaney, a niece of former top Trump aide Mick Mulvaney, worked as director of finance operations for the Trump campaign, according to her LinkedIn profile. Maggie Mulvaney retweeted several messages on Jan. 6, including one from the president that urged support for the Capitol Police.
  • Former Trump campaign official Katrina Pierson, who the committee says was “reportedly involved in the organization” of the rally on Jan. 6 and a smaller one the day before. The panel said in its letter to Pierson that it is aware of reports that she met with Trump in the days before the rally.

The remaining names on the list were involved in the management and production of the rally and dealt with scheduling, operations and logistics. Those individuals are Justin Caporale and Tim Unes of Event Strategies Inc., Megan Powers of MPowers Consulting LLC, Hannah Salem of Salem Strategies LLC and Lyndon Brentnall of RMS Protective Services. Event Strategies says on its website that it has “played a significant role in every US presidential campaign since its founding.” Caporale and Unes were listed on Jan. 6 permit paperwork as the rally’s project manager and stage manager, per the committee.

  • Powers, who served as the 2020 campaign’s director of operations, worked as a White House press aide and at NASA, and was listed as one of two operations managers for the Jan. 6 event.
  • Salem, a former special assistant to the president and director of White House press advance, was the rally’s “operations manager for logistics and communications,” according to the permit paperwork.
  • The panel said Brentnall was listed on the permit paperwork as “On-site supervisor.” He is the owner of Florida-based RMS Protective Services, which advertises protection, investigations, surveillance and bug sweeps.
(More Capitol riot stories.)

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