Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone were among five individuals slapped with subpoenas Monday by the House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol.
In letters to Jones and Stone, committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) called on them to produce relevant documents by Dec. 6. Stone was also informed he would be asked to give a deposition Dec. 17, while Jones would be asked to do the same the following day.
“The Select Committee is seeking information about the rallies and subsequent march to the Capitol that escalated into a violent mob attacking the Capitol and threatening our democracy,” Thompson said in a statement. “We need to know who organized, planned, paid for, and received funds related to those events, as well as what communications organizers had with officials in the White House and Congress.”
In his letter to Jones, Thompson claimed that the “Alex Jones Show” host had “help[ed] organize” and raise funds for the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse that precipitated the riot. Thompson added that Jones was denied a speaking slot at the rally, but had been allowed to address a separate event on Jan. 5 “at the request of President Trump.”
The committee chairman also stated that Jones attended the Ellipse rally and marched to the Capitol after the event. According to Thompson, Jones was recorded telling attendees not to be violent and to gather on the east side of the Capitol for a speech by Trump which never took place.
Thompson also said that Jones “and others on Infowars repeatedly promoted President Trump’s allegations of election fraud” ahead of Jan. 6 and “urged people to come to Washington” for the Ellipse rally. Thompson also stated in his letter that Jones had “made statements implying that you had knowledge about the plans of President Trump with respect to the rally.”
In the case of Stone — who was pardoned weeks before the riot by Trump after being convicted of making false statements, obstruction and witness tampering in connection with Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation — Thompson cited reports that he had addressed at least two pro-Trump rallies on Jan. 5 and was originally scheduled to speak at the “Stop the Steal” rally.
Thompson also claimed in his letter that Stone had “used members of the [far-right] Oath Keepers as personal security guards, several of whom were reportedly involved in the attack on the Capitol and at least one of whom has been indicted.”
In a statement, Stone said he has yet to see the details of the subpoena but called any allegation of his involvement on that day as “categorically false.”
“I have said time and time again that I had no advance knowledge of the events that took place at the Capitol on that day,” he said. “After the subpoena is served and after my counsel reviews the requests, I will make the determination of how I will proceed.”
The other three subpoenas were issued to Dustin Stockton, Jennifer Lawrence and current Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich for their alleged involvement in promoting and organizing the Ellipse rally.
Stockton and Lawrence have previously said they planned to testify and would turn over documents requested by the committee. In its request for documents and testimony, the committee cited a ProPublica report from June of this year that said Stockton attempted to warn then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about the potential of the rally leading to violence.
“We were shocked and horrified by what happened on the 6th,” Lawrence told The Associated Press on Monday. “We need to get to the bottom of what really happened so we can move forward as a country.”
Former senior Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently turned himself in after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with his subpoena.
The committee has already interviewed more than 150 people across government, social media and law enforcement, including some former Trump aides who have been cooperative.
With Post wires