(PatrioticPost.com)- Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel under former President Donald Trump, has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury, according to a Fox News report.
The subpoena is part of the Department of Justice’s inquiry into crimes that may have been committed in regard to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
When the protest took place that day, Cipollone was working for the Trump administration. The House’s special committee investigating January 6 said that Cipollone probably had information about efforts that Trump and his allies took to stop the certification of the Electoral College.
He eventually appeared before the House committee. During that appearance, he was asked if he agreed with the statement that there was “no evidence of election fraud sufficient to undermine the outcome of the election.”
He answered:
“Yes, I agree with that.”
Cipollone agreed to the interview with the January 6 investigating committee after Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, gave her bombshell testimony. During her testimony, Hutchinson said that Cipollone expressed concern that if the former president marched with his followers to the Capitol building after his speech, that he would be exposed to possible future criminal charges that could include inciting a riot or obstruction.
Hutchinson claimed that Cipollone reiterated his concerns during the morning hours on January 6, saying that if Trump did indeed go to the Capitol building, “we’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable.”
The Department of Justice is conducting its own criminal inquiry into what happened on January 6, 2021, to determine if any more people need to be charged for their role in the riot that day.
Thus far, only people who actually breached the Capitol building and actively participated in the riot have been criminally charged by the DOJ. This investigation — which is separate from that of the House’s special committee — is looking into the possibility that some political figures in the Trump White House committed crimes for their roles in pulling strings behind the scenes.
Cipollone isn’t the first high-ranking official from the Trump administration to be called before a federal grand jury as a part of the DOJ’s investigation. Marc Short, who served as the chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, appeared before that grand jury already and gave testimony.
Short has acknowledged to media outlets that he indeed appeared before the federal grand jury, he hasn’t disclosed what he told them or what he was asked.
No more information about Cipollone’s appearance before the federal grand jury has been released yet.
The lawyer was very close to Trump during the most crucial days of his presidency. He was in on discussions regarding the possibility of taking possession of voting machines, meddling with the DOJ and sending illegitimate letters to various state officials claiming election fraud had occurred.
In speaking about the voting machine seizure idea, Cipollone said:
“That’s a terrible idea for the country. That’s not how we do things in the United States.”
With statements like that, it’s not a good thing for Trump that Cipollone was subpoenaed by the grand jury and will likely provide testimony for the DOJ.
