Special Counsel Jack Smith's team has shown an increasing interest in examining the involvement of former Donald Trump's attorneys and other individuals, who plotted to overturn the 2020 election, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Prosecutors issued subpoenas focusing on several prominent individuals involved in the post-election efforts, according to the WSJ. These figures include conspiracy theorist and lawyer Sidney Powell, who propagated unsubstantiated allegations of extensive voter fraud. The subpoenas have also sought communications involving Emily Newman, a lawyer who collaborated with Powell, as well as Mike Roman, a Republican operative responsible for overseeing Election Day operations for the Trump campaign and deploying lawyers to key battleground states prior to November 2020.
Federal prosecutors recently conducted an almost eight-hour interview with Rudy Giuliani, who formerly served as President Trump's personal lawyer, individuals familiar with the testimony to the WSJ. They asked Giuliani about Powell and a December 2020 meeting that took place in the Oval Office, during which Powell presented a proposal suggesting the U.S. military should take control of the voting machines. Prosecutors also reportedly questioned Giuliani about John Eastman, the attorney responsible for devising the unsuccessful plan involving alternate electors that was undermined when Vice President Mike Pence certified the Electoral College results on January 6. "Giuliani and Eastman were central figures in the so-called war room at the Willard hotel in downtown Washington, where some of Trump's most loyal advisers worked to overturn the 2020 election results," The Wall Street Journal reported.