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Former Trump social media aide finally served with subpoena after he had evaded Capitol riot committee staff

Anyone refusing to comply with their subpoena could be held in criminal contempt

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Sunday 10 October 2021 08:35 EDT
Comments
Hope Hicks, senior adviser to the president, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino(L) attend services with US President Donald Trump at the International Church of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 18, 2020.
Hope Hicks, senior adviser to the president, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino(L) attend services with US President Donald Trump at the International Church of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 18, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images)

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Donald Trump’s former aide Dan Scavino has been finally served with a subpoena from the 6 January House select committee.

The committee had been trying for a week to locate Mr Scavino, the one-term president’s former deputy White House chief of staff for communications.

Mr Scavino was in New York but asked staff at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to accept delivery on his behalf, according to CNN.

The committee believes that Mr Scavino can provide useful information because of his close working relationship with Mr Trump.

They are reportedly interested in conversations that he had with Mr Trump on 5 January about trying to convince members of Congress to not certify Joe Biden’s electoral win.

And they want to hear from him about the Trump White House’s broader communications strategy in the run up to the 6 January rally.

Mr Scavino would review the subpoena with his lawyers to decide on his next steps, a source told the network.

He was among the aides that an attorney for Mr Trump sent a letter advising them to “where appropriate, invoke any immunities and privileges” and to avoid giving the committee documents or testimony.

Mr Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon has already told the committee that he will not take part, citing Mr Trump’s claim of executive privilege.

Former Trump officials Mark Meadows and Kash Patel are “so far engaging” with the committee, according to Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican.

Anyone refusing to comply with their subpoena could be held in criminal contempt.

The Biden administration told the National Archives on Friday that it would not assert executive privilege on documents related to the violence by Trump supporters at the Capitol.

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