Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenas local officials for Trump communications: Report
Ryan King
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Special counsel Jack Smith is setting his sights on three key states central to former President Donald Trump’s failed gambit to stay in power in 2020, reportedly subpoenaing local officials in Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin for communications with Trump.
Over recent days, his subpoena demands arrived in Dane County, Wisconsin; Maricopa County, Arizona; Wayne County, Michigan; and Milwaukee, marking some of the first-known subpoenas from Smith since being elevated to special counsel last month, the Washington Post reported.
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At least three of the subpoenas were dated Nov. 22, and documents reviewed by the Washington Post showed that Smith was after all communications with Trump, the Trump campaign, and an extensive list of his allies.
During the fallout from the 2020 election, Trump and some of his allies hit at pressure points in critical battleground states, hoping to overturn his 2020 election loss. The failed endeavor came to an end when the election was certificated in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Since then, the Justice Department has been conducting a sprawling examination of the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack and efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. The DOJ has also been investigating possible breaches of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice pertaining to Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland last month after Trump announced his 2024 presidential bid, and he now spearheads the DOJ’s investigations relating to Trump on both fronts. Smith’s recent subpoenas indicate a growing interest in the Jan. 6 investigations.
He also has to weigh possible criminal charges on whether Trump interfered with the “transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election” or broke laws in the “ongoing investigation involving classified documents.”
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Trump quickly decried the special counsel appointment as “unfair to the country” and blasted Smith as “nothing less than a hit man for Obama.” The former president has adamantly denied wrongdoing for his actions surrounding the 2020 election and the Mar-a-Lago document saga.
Federal officials confiscated over 300 documents bearing classified markings from Mar-a-Lago, including over 100 from the Aug. 8 FBI raid, including labels ranging from “CONFIDENTIAL to TOP SECRET information,” per court records.
Authorities have multiple exchanges with Trump that began with the National Archives and Records Administration request back in January.
The Washington Examiner reached out to a DOJ spokesperson for comment.