The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot issued six new subpoenas on Friday, including to two former White House aides who the panel said met with former President Donald Trump days before Jan. 6.
The committee said Max Miller, a former Trump aide who is running to represent Ohio's 13th congressional district, and Robert “Bobby” Peede, Jr., who served as deputy assistant to the president, had a private White House meeting with Trump two days before the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the riot.
Congressional investigators asked for documents and testimony related to the meeting, which they say was held to discuss who Trump wanted to speak at the rally.
The committee also subpoenaed four others: Brian Jack, a campaign aide; Bryan Lewis, a Trump aide who helped plan the rally; Ed Martin, an ally of the former president who helped organize the rally; and Kimberly Fletcher who organized two rallies before the riot took place. NBC News has attempted to contact all six of the individuals who were subpoenaed for comment.
The committee is demanding documents from witnesses by late December and testimony by January.
“Some of the witnesses we subpoenaed today apparently worked to stage the rallies on January 5th and 6th, and some appeared to have had direct communication with the former president regarding the rally at the Ellipse directly preceding the attack on the U.S. Capitol,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the committee's chair, said in a statement on Friday.
“The Select Committee expects these witnesses to join the hundreds of individuals who have already cooperated with our investigation as we work to provide the American people with answers about what happened on January 6th and ensure nothing like that day ever happens again," Thompson added.
Miller, who Trump endorsed in February, originally sought to unseat GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio. But Gonzalez has dropped his re-election bid after facing backlash for voting to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Miller said in tweets on Friday that he accepted service of the subpoena. He also criticized the panel as "partisan."
"Upon taking office, I will make sure one of my first votes is to disband this partisan committee that has weaponized its powers against innocent Americans. Ohioans are tired of watching D.C.’s witch hunts and political theater while the country burns," he said.
"Sadly, it’s the only card the Democrats can play, because their policies are destroying our nation. I will accept service of this subpoena, but I will defend my rights just as I will defend the rights of my constituents when elected," Miller added.
