A federal grand jury served subpoenas Wednesday to a wide range of former campaign and White House officials seeking information about the Save America PAC, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. They described the subpoenas as broad, seeking all documents and communications related to the opening of the PAC and every dollar raised and spent. At least one of the subpoenas also sought information about the scheme to submit fake voter IDs claiming Trump won swing states, including all communications with several key lawyers and advisers involved in the effort, one of the people said. They include Rudy Giuliani, Boris Epshteyn, Bruce Marks, Victoria Toensing and Joseph DiGenova, this person said. The Justice Department is investigating Trump’s actions in the Jan. 6 criminal probe Another of the three people, with direct knowledge of one of the calls, said the document was “extensive” and included several other categories of information, but that person declined to describe it. FBI agents fielded at least some of the calls in person on Wednesday, one of the people with knowledge said. Representatives for Trump and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some of the details of the subpoenas were reported by ABC and The New York Times. Epshteyn declined to comment. So is Toensing, who is married to DiGenova. Giuliani did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Marks said he was out of the country and unaware of a subpoena. He defended the effort to submit alternate electors, but distanced himself from the campaign to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to unilaterally discard some states’ votes in favor of Biden. “I thought the vice president did the right thing,” Marks said. “We’re not all crazy in the world of MAGA.” Trump’s post-presidential fundraising has already been a source of suspicion for House committee investigators Jan. 6, as well as some Republicans who want Trump to dip into his reserves to bolster his party’s Senate campaigns amid signs that their candidates are lagging behind in the polls and fundraising. This week’s subpoenas were also the latest sign that the Justice Department has stepped up its own parallel investigation into Jan. 6. Prosecutors has already charged hundreds of people involved in the Capitol Hill riot with low-level offenses such as trespassing and assaulting police, as well as accusing the leaders of the violent extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of coordinating the attack. More recently, prosecutors began looking into planning for the pre-riot rally and Republican efforts to send Trump plaques to the electorate. The status of key investigations involving Donald Trump As part of the investigation, prosecutors sought phone records and other information from Trump’s inner circle and questioned close Pence advisers before a federal grand jury. The Washington Post reported in July that the investigation included Trump’s possible role in fraudulent election efforts and his pressure on federal and state officials to dispute the election results. Some of these activities are also under scrutiny by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D), the district attorney-elect in the Atlanta area. Willis said she expects a special purpose grand jury there to deliver a report that will include charging recommendations by the end of the year. The probes by the Justice Department and the House panel are separate from the criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of government secrets after he left office, which led to a search warrant at his Florida resort in August. On Thursday, the Justice Department appealed a federal judge’s decision to appoint a special master to review documents seized during the search. The administration soon faces the 60-day period before an election, when the Justice Department typically avoids taking investigative steps that could be seen to influence voters. The House committee investigating Jan. 6 also took an interest in the finances of Trump’s PAC, alleging that the group used false claims about the election to solicit donations. In a June hearing, a committee investigator said the Trump campaign raised hundreds of millions by sending up to 25 emails a day asking for donations to an “Official Election Defense Fund” that didn’t actually exist. The panel has focused on whether federal wire fraud laws could have been violated if people sought money using claims they knew to be false, The Post reported. Trump has raised more than $100 million for the PAC with thousands of appeals to supporters, many containing misleading or false statements about the election. He has largely hoarded the money, giving limited amounts to other candidates he supports and paying some of his staff and lawyers. Devlin Barrett and Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.
