Justice issues fresh subpoenas
Federal probe of invalid electors growing in size
Federal agents investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday dropped subpoenas on people in at least two states, in what appeared to be a widening probe of how political activists supporting President Donald Trump tried to use invalid electors to thwart Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
Agents conducted court authorized law enforcement activity Wednesday morning at two locations, FBI officials confirmed to The Washington Post. One was the home of Brad Carver, a Georgia lawyer who allegedly signed a document claiming to be a Trump elector. The other was the Virginia home of Thomas Lane, who worked on the Trump campaign’s efforts in Arizona and New Mexico. The FBI officials did not identify the people associated with those addresses, but public records list each of the locations as the home addresses of the men.
Separately, at least some of the would-be Trump electors in Michigan also received subpoenas on Wednesday, but it was not immediately clear whether that activity was related to a federal probe or a statelevel criminal inquiry.
Trump campaign documents show advisers knew fake-elector plan was baseless. The precise nature of the information being sought by the Justice Department at the homes of Carver and Lane wasn’t immediately clear.
Officials have previously said that the Justice Department and FBI were examining the issue of false electors, whom Trump and others hoped might be approved by state legislators in a last-ditch bid to keep Trump in the White House. Until now, however, those investigative efforts seemed to primarily involve talking to people in Republican circles who knew of the scheme and objected; the subpoenas issued Wednesday suggest the Justice Department is now moving to question at least some of those who allegedly agreed to pursue the effort.
FBI agents delivered a subpoena to Lane on Wednesday morning at his home in Virginia, according to the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. After leaving the Trump campaign, Lane has worked for the Republican National Committee’s election efforts in Virginia, this person said.
Phone messages left for Lane were not immediately returned. Carver, the Georgia lawyer, also did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Public records list an address for Lane in south Arlington, and an FBI spokeswoman confirmed agents conducted “court-authorized law enforcement activity” at that address on Wednesday morning.
The new investigative moves by the Justice Department come amid a series of high-profile congressional hearings examining not just the riot at the Capitol, but also Trump’s efforts to undo Biden’s electoral victory through fake electors, lobbying the Justice Department and false claims of massive voter fraud.
Arizona and Georgia officials testified Tuesday to the House select committee about the activities launched by Trump and his inner circle of advisers directed at those states. On Thursday, the panel will hold a hearing featuring testimony from former Justice Department officials.
The Post has reported an uptick in the number of violent threats against lawmakers serving on that panel.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department sent subpoenas and sought interviews with some of the 15 people around the country who were slated to be Trump electors if he had won their states — but were replaced by other Trump supporters on the day of the electoral college vote, several people told The Post. Some of those Republicans have told The Post they didn’t participate as electors because Biden had won the popular vote in their state and they did not think the gatherings were appropriate; others said they declined to participate because they were ill or had scheduling conflicts.