Shelby councilman Martin subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel
SHELBY – A Shelby councilman has been subpoenaed by the special congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The Democrat-led House committee has ordered Nathan Martin to sit for a deposition, scheduled for Oct. 28.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi and chairman of the select committee, said in an Oct. 7 letter addressed to Martin that the committee had obtained “credible evidence” of Martin's involvement in the events within the scope of the committee's investigation.
On Monday, the Iraq War veteran who's represented Shelby's 4th Ward since 2013 said he had “no comment at this time.” Martin is running unopposed for a third term this fall.
Martin’s contact info listed on permit application
In December 2020, an organization named One Nation Under God submitted an application for a permit to the U.S. Capitol Police, wanting to demonstrate over “election fraud in swing states” on Jan. 6 on the north side of the Capitol building.
The application, which was ultimately granted, listed Martin's phone number
and email address among the contact information.
Martin, 40, told the News Journal last month that he doesn't know how that came to be.
“When the Capitol police called me, I was kind of shocked of why they were calling me about the event,” Martin said.
According to notes taken by a Capitol police officer, first obtained by Buzzfeed News, Martin directed the officer to call Stephen Brown, saying he'd be the best person for additional information regarding One Nation Under God.
Brown, who was listed as a spokesperson for the planned rally, told the officer he was “shocked” Martin would say that because he was in “daily communication with Martin for information regarding the event,” according to the notes.
In an interview, Martin said he traveled to Washington D.C. in early January to help secure hotel rooms for attendees of rallies that preceded the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
But he denied that logistics effort was for One Nation Under God.
“I honestly don't know what that's all about,” Martin said.
“I didn't even know enough about what they were asking me to answer the questions,” he added, referring to the Capitol police. “That's why I pointed them to somebody else who could answer their questions.”
Stop the Steal targeted in subpoenas
Martin has also come under scrutiny because of his ties to Ali Abdul Akbar, known as Ali Alexander.
Alexander was involved in organizing “Stop the Steal” protests around the country, including the rally at the Ellipse that preceded the Capitol riot.
In addition to Martin, the House committee has issued subpoenas for Alexander and Stop the Steal LLC, which has been ordered to furnish documents relevant to the committee's investigation by Oct. 21.
The Capitol police officer who helped review permit applications noted that Stop the Steal and One Nation Under God appeared to be one and the same due to “similarities and affiliation with Alexander.”
Alexander released a statement after the Jan. 6 riot in which he appeared to acknowledge that Stop the Steal (STS) and One Nation Under God were in fact the same.
“According to press reports, in the weeks before the Jan. 6 attack, Mr. Alexander made repeated reference during Sts-sponsored events to the possible use of violence to achieve the organization's goals and claimed to have been in communication with the White House and members of Congress regarding events planned to coincide with the certification of the 2020 Electoral College results, Rep. Thompson wrote in his letter to Martin.
“Indeed, Mr. Alexander reportedly spoke at a rally on Jan. 5 held by the Eighty Percent Coalition at Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C., and led the crowd in a chant of ‘victory or death.'”
Martin, noting he hadn't seen the permit applications until Buzzfeed published its article last month, said he's worked with Alexander in the past. “I've helped him get hotel rooms for various events and stuff like that,” he added.