The investigative team for special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to turn over records to a federal grand jury as part of the former President’s fundraising following the 2020 election.
CNN was first to report the existence of the subpoena, citing sources, which was issued more than a month ago. The subpoena apparently requests documents from Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, regarding payments he received around the 2020 election when he filed numerous lawsuits on Trump’s behalf contesting the election’s outcome.
Prosecutors also subpoenaed other witnesses close to Trump in late December, asking specifically for documents related to disbursements from the Save America PAC, Trump’s primary fundraising operation set up shortly after the 2020 election.
Save America was part of broader fundraising efforts by Trump and the Republican Party that raised more than $250 million following the election. Since then, the PAC has compensated several lawyers who now represent Trump and his allies in January 6, 2021 insurrection-related investigations.
For example, the second hearing of last year’s House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection, which was held on June 13th, focused on what the Committee called “the big rip-off.” The Committee had argued that Trump knew he had lost the 2020 election, yet he still swindled hundreds of millions of dollars from small donors with the false claim it would be used to fund his legal fight. Instead, the money allegedly went to finance Trump’s inner circle.
During its final public meeting, the January 6 Committee made four separate criminal referrals of former President Trump to the Department of Justice.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a veteran career prosecutor, as special counsel in November to determine among his duties whether criminal charges should be filed against Trump for his role in the January 6 insurrection and attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election.
The information prosecutors seek is still being collected, CNN’s sources said. One source said investigators have prioritized getting financial information from Giuliani. However, another source told Reuters the subpoena also asks Giuliani to provide testimony.
When CNN asked for a statement from Giuliani, his adviser Ted Goodman said, “The mayor is unaware of the specific claims by this so-called ‘anonymous source,’ and therefore is not in position to respond.”
A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.
A representative for Trump has not responded to a CNN request for comment.
