Members of twice-impeached, one-term former President Donald Trump’s circle have been attempting to undermine the investigation by the House Committee on their suspected involvement in the Capitol insurrection. Two allies of the former president have reportedly set up a legal fund for former officials who have been subpoenaed by the bipartisan panel.
Conservative activist Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes, who served as the former president’s director of strategic communications, have put up a legal fund called the “First Amendment fund” for Trump’s former aides that have been subpoenaed by the House Committee. The former aide’s legal defense would be with the law firm associated with former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker, according to Rolling Stone.
A person familiar with the legal fund revealed that Schlapps and Whitaker have offered to shoulder everyone’s legal fees except for two aides. According to an attorney working on matters related to the House Committee’s investigation, the attorneys being paid by the Schlapps and Whitaker are looking to peer into the congressional investigation.
Sources revealed that they would come to the legal defense of four of Trump’s aides that are connected to the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the insurrection. This includes Maggie Mulvaney, Tim Unes, Justin Caporale, and Megan Powers.
The attorney revealed that the fund would be used to defend the people that organized the rally and not the hundreds of rioters who stormed into the Capitol. Five people were killed, and dozens of law enforcement officials were left injured from the violence. The mob was also targeting top congressional officials like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including then-vice president Mike Pence for refusing to reject the 2020 election results.
Meanwhile, the House Committee is set to subpoena more possible witnesses and officials who may have knowledge about the Capitol insurrection or have had prior knowledge of the riots that would occur out of Trump’s refusal to acknowledge losing to Joe Biden. Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chairs the House committee probing the riots, announced that he has signed off on 20 subpoenas that may be out as soon as Friday.
Rep. Liz Cheney, who serves as the ranking member of the panel, revealed that they have already interviewed 150 people who have knowledge of the insurrection.