Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Rudy Giuliani, three other Trump allies

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani and three other allies of former President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

The committee said Giuliani, who worked as Trump's personal attorney; Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, two other Trump attorneys, and former campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn promoted unsupported claims about the 2020 presidential election and took part in efforts to delay or disrupt the certification of the election results on Jan. 6.

"The select committee is looking into the causes that contributed to the violence on Jan. 6 including attempts to promote unsupported claims of election fraud and pressure campaigns to overturn the 2020 election results," Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement. "The four individuals we've subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former president about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes."

In a letter to Giuliani, the committee said its investigation had "revealed credible evidence" that he publicly promoted claims the 2020 election "was stolen" and was reportedly in contact with Trump and various members of Congress regarding strategies for delaying or overturning the results.

Epshteyn also reportedly attended meetings at the Willard Hotel in the days before the riot and had a call with Trump on the morning of Jan. 6 to discuss options to delay the certification if then-Vice President Mike Pence was unwilling to deny or delay the certification of the results, the committee said.

The committee said Ellis reportedly prepared and circulated two memos "purporting to analyze the constitutional authority for the vice president to reject or delay counting electoral votes from states that had submitted an alternate slate of electors."

Powell, according to the committee, "actively promoted claims of election fraud" on behalf of Trump in litigation and public appearances.

The subpoenas order that the four provide documents to the committee by Feb. 4 and appear for a deposition on Feb. 8.

Several Trump allies subpoenaed by the committee have refused to comply with its demands and Robert Costello, an attorney for Giuliani told CNN the committee had not sought voluntary cooperation for issuing the subpoena, an act he described as "political theater."

"Chairman Bennie Thompson, who is not a lawyer, should realize that Giuliani has a claim of executive privilege and a claim of attorney-client privilege," Costello said.

He added it was "hard to believe" the committee would get "any substantive information" from Giuliani.

"When you are asking questions of the president's personal attorney, you are not going to get answers. They want to try to make an example of him," Costello said.