The House committee investigating the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol has subpoenaed and obtained records of phone numbers linked to Eric Trump and American television personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is also the fiancee of Donald Trump Jr, according to a report.
The panel has not directly subpoenaed Mr Trump and Ms Guilfoyle but instead has gone to communication companies, multiple sources told CNN. The data that the panel obtained includes logs that disclose incoming and outgoing calls, alongwith their date, time and duration. It also shows records of text messages but not the content.
This is considered the first time that the committee has issued a subpoena against former president Donald Trump’s children, indicating an escalation in the investigation.
Eric Trump – the former president’s third child – and Ms Guilfoyle were part of the rally at the Ellipse, and addressed the crowd before the mob stormed the Capitol building to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Ms Guilfoyle was involved in raising funds for the Trump campaign. Addressing the crowd, she had said: “Look at all of us out here, God-loving, freedom-loving, liberty-loving patriots, that will not let them steal this election.”
“We will not allow the liberals and the Democrats to steal our dream or steal our elections,” she had said on 6 January, 2021.
A source familiar with Eric Trump reportedly said that he was “not losing any sleep” over the subpoena.
Joseph Tacopina, the attorney for Ms Guilfoyle, said that she has not been officially notified of the subpoena, and added that it was “of no consequence to her” as she was not concerned about anything.
According to two other sources, Ms Guilfoyle’s number appeared in text message exchanges with other witnesses during the panel’s investigation.
The committee has declined to comment on the new subpoenas.
As the investigation continued into the riots, the committee already subpoenaed more than 100 allies, aides, and other people linked to the former president.
The announcement came after additional subpoenas were issued to ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, attorney Sidney Powell, as well as former Trump campaign legal advisers Jenna Ellis and Boris Epshteyn.
Committee chair Bennie Thompson said on Tuesday that the four individuals “advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former president about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes”.
