A new round of subpoenas were sent to former President Donald Trump’s associates in recent weeks as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources familiar with the probe tell CNN.
Amid the extensive requests for information are new questions from federal investigators about who is paying for legal representation for subpoena recipients.
The subpoenas, as described to CNN, asked individuals not only how their legal bills were being footed but also to provide a copy of the lawyer retention agreement if the bills were being covered by anyone other than themselves.
This comes after Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, told the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack that she switched lawyers because she felt uncomfortable with the actions of her Trump-funded attorney. Hutchinson said she was repeatedly urged to downplay her role in the White House and say she did not recall certain events.
Revelations about this line of inquiry regarding the funding of legal representation comes amid a flurry of recent investigative activity.
Subpoenas for witnesses close to Trump also have asked for additional information regarding fundraising efforts and Trump-aligned fundraising groups, sources tell CNN. Within the last few weeks, several Trump associates have appeared in front of a grand jury in Washington, DC.
CNN previously reported that Smith’s team has subpoenaed Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, asking him to turn over records to a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into the former president’s fundraising following the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the subpoena.
MAlloc-1024 on January 12nd, 2023 at 14:33 UTC »
I feel that this may be an under reported story that potentially could be rather explosive if they find a bunch of people who 'cannot recall' because their defense is being funded by trump's campaign slush fund.
PayTheTeller on January 12nd, 2023 at 14:12 UTC »
I'd like to see an in depth investigation into the entire network of money collecting and distributing that seems to seamlessly comingle the politicians with their propaganda networks where they then all spout the exact same narrative of the day and who knows what other type of proverbial back scratching.
I recently looked into details on federally mandated campaign fund expense reports and there was a stark difference between what Democrats spend their money on and Republicans, notably the most obnoxious and visible ones we all seem to not be able to avoid hearing about, so the biggest earners.
Democrats would have normal expenses you would expect and you walk away with a sense that these are all normal and above board. Republicans, on the other hand, mostly, (Jim Jordan was oddly similar to the spending of Democrats, I'm assuming because of presidential aspirations), had all of these weird pigeon holes that ate up enormous sums of money. Stuff like this one tiny company in Texas run by a group of 30 somethings raking in millions from each of the biggest names. Stuff like common usage of secretive apps that run the same way as Parler, where there is a layer of anonyminity. These apps and these shell companies would turn up on report after report and I never really got to the bottom of it.
I find it very strange that something that was so easy to find with a very distinct and profound pattern, stays buried in the informational purgatory that defines today's journalism ecosystem where most of them can't seem to find a way to do their damn jobs. I hope the team run by Jack Smith can break the ice here by uncovering a few of these rabbit holes that explain how cash gets moved around and spent in this blatantly conspiratorial manner. This is something that we all should know about and the very reason behind the mandated reports
School2Prison on January 12nd, 2023 at 13:33 UTC »
I wonder if they’re looking at this from an obstruction/witness tampering lens?