House Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas Three Alleged to Have Helped Plan Rally Before Riot

Three new subpoenas for a former White House aide and two other Trump associates who were allegedly in communication with others close to the former president leading up to January 6 were issued by the House committee investigating the events of that day.

The subpoenas were issued for former White House official Ross Worthington, who the committee said helped write the speech Trump gave to supporters before the Capitol was stormed, along with Andy Surabian and Arthur Schwartz, advisors to Donald Trump Jr.

"We have reason to believe the individuals we've subpoenaed today have relevant information and we expect them to join the more than 340 individuals who have spoken with the Select Committee as we push ahead to investigate this attack on our democracy and ensure nothing like this ever happens again," Mississippi Rep. and panel chairman Bennie Thompson said in a letter Tuesday.

The subpoenas allege that Surabian and Schwartz were in communication with Trump Jr. and his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle leading up to the January 6 rally, according to The Associated Press.

Surabian and Schwartz are strategists who have worked with Trump Jr. in the past, as well as former Trump advisor Steve Bannon and others involved in the administration.

The committee is reportedly planning to hold public hearings upon the conclusion of their investigation to reveal their findings to the public sometime this year.

Worthington is a former Trump White House and campaign aide who served as a speechwriter and policy adviser. He had previously worked for former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally.

An attorney representing Surabian said his client will cooperate with the committee "within reason," but does not understand why the subpoena was issued in the first place.

"He had nothing at all to do with the events that took place at the Capital that day, zero involvement in organizing the rally that preceded it and was off the payroll of the Trump campaign as of November 15, 2020," Daniel Bean, an attorney representing Surabian, said in a statement.

Schwartz had no comment when reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, and Worthington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump at the time was pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud and lobbying Vice President Mike Pence and Republican members of Congress to try to overturn the count at the Jan. 6 congressional certification. Election officials across the country, along with the courts, had repeatedly dismissed Trump's claims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.