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The attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was shocking and heartbreaking for many to witness. Protesting was to be expected but the destruction and terror was something many were not prepared to handle. Since then there have been serious investigations; whether by the House or authorities.
On November 6, the Jan. 6 Committee sent out their first subpoenas to ex-White House deputy chief of staff for communications Kash Patel and Dan Scavino, ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. They also requested then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and others to appear before them as well.
Roughly 16 days later, the House select committee subpoenaed self-described dirty trickster Roger Stone, InfoWars head Alex Jones, and rally promoters Jennifer Lawrence and Dustin Stockton to testify before them. In addition, the committee also sent Taylor Budowich, former President Donald Trump’s current spokesperson, a subpoena.
In a statement, Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) said, “The Select Committee is seeking information about the rallies and subsequent march to the Capitol that escalated into a violent mob attacking the Capitol and threatening our democracy.” He added that the Jan. 6 Committee needs “to know who organized, planned, paid for, and received funds related to those events, as well as what communications organizers had with officials in the White House and Congress.”
Stone and Jones gave speeches to Trump supporters on January 5, urging his followers to push back against the electoral results. Standing amongst a crowd at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., Jones stated, “I don’t know how this is all going to end, but if they want to fight, they better believe they’ve got one.”
Jones assisted in securing funding for the Jan. 6 rally. When things began to surge out of control; Jones attempted to de-escalate the situation and deter individuals from breaking into the Capitol, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Between January 5 and Jan. 6, Stone raised finances for “private security.” The night before the riot he requested attendees at a January 5 rally to join forces in an “epic struggle,” reported Mother Jones.
Back in August, Capitol Police officers began the process of suing Stone, Trump, and other defendants alleging civil rights violations. Stone was served paperwork on the lawsuit while on a radio talk show on September 15.
Budowich was previously the executive director of the Tea Party Express. In recent days he has fielded media inquiries for Trump about the events that took place on Jan. 6. He also assisted in overseeing the Save the Senate super PAC, which attempted to help Republicans win the 2020 Georgia run-off elections.
The House select committee is hoping to discover the truth about who is responsible for inciting the riot.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
POLITICO: Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Roger Stone and Alex Jones; by Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nicholas Wu
NPR: Jan. 6 subpoena tracker: Here’s who the House panel wants to hear from; by Claudia Grisales, Connie Hanzhang Jin, Elena Moore
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Victoria Pickering’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Blink O’fanaye’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License