DOJ subpoenas Trump White House counsel Cipollone, source says
Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel under former President Donald Trump who tried to stop some of his more extreme efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating activities in the lead-up to the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, a person familiar with the subpoena said.
It was unclear which grand jury had called Cipollone to testify as a witness. Two are known to be hearing evidence and testimony — one looking at the scheme by some of Trump’s lawyers and advisers to assemble slates of electors who would falsely claim that Trump was the actual winner of the election, and another focused on the events of Jan. 6.
But Cipollone is the highest-ranking White House official working for Trump during his final days in office who is known to have been called to testify by federal investigators.
Cipollone was in the West Wing as Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol and the president refused repeatedly to call them off. Cipollone also attended several meetings in the run-up to the riot in which Trump and his allies discussed how they could overturn the election and keep him in office.
Cipollone repeatedly pushed back on those efforts.
An aide to Cipollone did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment.
Cipollone’s appearance has been requested at a time when federal prosecutors are sharpening their focus on the conduct of Trump, and not simply the people who were advising him.
In recent weeks, investigators have asked witnesses questions about Trump and his actions, including of people who worked in the White House.
Two former senior advisers to Vice President Mike Pence — his chief of staff, Marc Short, and his chief counsel, Greg Jacob — recently testified before one of the grand juries, according to people familiar with their appearances.
Given the nature of Cipollone’s job, it was unclear how much information he would provide. He was subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot and the events that helped precipitate it, and sat for a transcribed, recorded interview.
But certain terms were discussed ahead of time, and Cipollone, citing attorney-client and executive privileges, declined to discuss specific conversations with Trump.