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Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Trump Jr. fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle

The Republican operative worked for Trump’s re-election campaign and helped raise funds for the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the riot, the House committee said.
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WASHINGTON — The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot issued a subpoena Thursday to Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., for information relating to last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"Ms. Guilfoyle met with Donald Trump inside the White House, spoke at the rally that took place before the riot on January 6th, and apparently played a key role organizing and raising funds for that event. The Select Committee is seeking information from her about these and other matters," the panel's chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement Thursday. "We expect her to comply with the law and cooperate.”

Guilfoyle is one of the closest associates of the Trump family to be subpoenaed by the House committee. Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of former President Donald Trump, is in talks with the Jan. 6 committee to voluntarily participate in an interview and has not been subpoenaed.

In a letter to Guilfoyle made public Thursday, Thompson said, “President Trump met with you, several members of his family, and others in the Oval Office the morning of January 6, 2021, which was also when he last spoke with Vice President Pence (by phone) prior to the joint session of Congress to certify the results of the Presidential election."

He said the panel also had information that Guilfoyle “communicated with others about the decision by President Trump about who was not allowed to speak at the rally, including concerns raised about him sharing the stage with people like Ali Alexander, Alex Jones and Roger Stone."

Guilfoyle spoke at the rally on the Ellipse on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, and praised the crowd as "patriots who will not let them steal our election!"

Thompson said she was recorded backstage at the event telling people: “Have the courage to do the right thing. Fight!”

Guilfoyle voluntarily made a virtual appearance before the committee late last month, but the interview quickly went off the rails. On Feb. 25, she tweeted a statement from her lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, arguing that the members of the panel broke the terms of their agreement, which he said was to have only staff lawyers present for the interview.

Thompson disputed the characterization in his letter to Guilfoyle. "Staff had in fact communicated to your attorneys that Members could be present, but nevertheless offered to reschedule the interview. You declined," he wrote.

In Thursday's statement, Thompson said that because Guilfoyle had "backed out of her original commitment to provide a voluntary interview, we are issuing today’s subpoena that will compel her to testify.”

Tacopina responded in a statement saying: “This Committee has routinely abused their power and has made clear through their deceitful and immoral practices that they are not guided by a search for the truth, but rather an attempt to wrongly smear President Trump, his family, and his supporters. Again, she will testify truthful to any question. She has done nothing wrong.”

Thompson told reporters Wednesday that the panel hoped to finish with depositions by April 1, with plans to hold public hearings later in the month. He also said the committee aims to release an interim report in June.

The panel has interviewed more than 550 witnesses, Thompson said. The most recent interview took place Thursday, with former deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere, who was subpoenaed in January. Deere spoke with the committee for about six hours.

A source familiar with his subpoena has said the panel was seeking firsthand knowledge of Trump’s activities before and during the attack on the Capitol.

In a legal brief filed in federal court Wednesday, the committee said it "has a good-faith basis for concluding that" Trump and "members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

Trump has not been charged with any crime. The Jan. 6 committee can refer cases for prosecution, but the referrals are not binding.

In a statement Thursday, Trump said, “The actual conspiracy to defraud the United States was the Democrats rigging the Election, and the Fake News Media and the Unselect Committee covering it up.”