AP Photo/Evan Vucci
- The January 6 Congressional committee issued a subpoena to a former Trump White House staffer.
- According to CNN, the panel is seeking to speak with Judd Deere, former deputy WH press secretary.
- The move comes as the committee continues to narrow its scope on Trump’s inner circle.
The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot issued a subpoena for a former Trump White House spokesperson on Friday, according to a CNN report.
The panel is seeking information from Judd Deere, a former Trump staffer with firsthand knowledge of the then-president’s actions ahead of and during the insurrection, according to the outlet, which obtained a copy of the committee’s letter accompanying the subpoena.
The committee has requested documents and a deposition next month from Deere, who served as deputy White House press secretary at the time of the siege. According to CNN, the panel’s letter alleges Deere helped develop the White House response to the attack while it was happening.
Committee members are also looking to speak with Deere about a January 5 staff meeting in the Oval Office with former President Donald Trump, NBC News reported. The panel has reportedly received information suggesting Trump posited possible ways to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral win the following day.
“What are your ideas for getting the RINO’s to do the right thing tomorrow?” Trump allegedly said in the meeting, according to the committee letter obtained by CNN. “How do we convince Congress?”
According to CNN, the letter alleges that Deere publicly claimed fraud had impacted the 2020 presidential election, citing a December 2020 tweet from the former press secretary in which he referenced “very substantial voter fraud which took place in the November 3 Presidential election.”
The investigators also said Deere was responsible for formulating the official White House response to the siege as it was occurring in real time, according to CNN.
On January 7, 2021, Deere issued a White House statement regarding the insurrection.
“The White House grieves the loss of life that occurred yesterday and extends sympathies to their families and loved ones. We also continue to pray for a speedy recovery for those who suffered injury,” he said.
Deere, who now serves as deputy chief of staff to Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, declined to comment.
The move comes as the committee continues to narrow its scope on Trump’s inner circle. The panel has subpoenaed several key players, both inside the White House and out, as it investigates the possible role Trump played in the Capitol riot. Multiple Republican members of Congress, including Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. Scott Perry, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have also received subpoenas.
Earlier this month, Deere’s former boss, Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, met with the committee.
On Friday, the panel also issued subpoenas for 14 people accused of submitting false Electoral College certificates for Trump across seven states.
A spokesperson for Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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