Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas White Nationalist Group That Wanted Trump To Rule For Life

WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee on Wednesday subpoenaed two leaders of a white nationalist group that pushed former President Donald Trump ’s election lies and wanted Trump “to rule for life.”

Nicholas Fuentes and Patrick Casey , leaders in the America First, or “groypers,” movement, have been asked to turn over relevant documents to the committee by Feb. 2 and to sit for depositions on Feb. 9.

The committee’s letter to Fuentes cites his appearances at pro-Trump rallies in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, including one at the Michigan state Capitol on Nov. 11, 2020. “You told the crowd they should rally at state capitols every day, and said conservatives should be ‘more feral’ in their tactics to overturn the election,” it states.

On Jan. 6, Fuentes was at the U.S. Capitol, egging on his supporters to enter the building. “You called on your followers to continue occupying the Capitol until the election results were overturned, and proclaimed a ‘glorious day’ on your Twitter,” the letter reads.

The Jan. 6 committee also wants more information about a $250,000 bitcoin donation Fuentes received in December 2020 from a French computer programmer, as well as a $25,000 one Casey received, to see if they were related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“The Select Committee is seeking facts about the planning, coordination, and funding of events that preceded the violent attack on our democracy,” Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement. “We believe the individuals we have subpoenaed today have information relevant to those questions, and we expect them to cooperate with the committee.”

The committee’s investigation received a major boost Wednesday when the U.S. Supreme Court turned down Trump’s request to keep White House documents about his actions related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack a secret.

Despite losing the election by 7 million votes nationally and 306-232 in the Electoral College, Trump became the first U.S. president in more than two centuries of elections to refuse to hand over power peacefully. His incitement of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol — his last-ditch attempt to remain in office killed five, including one police officer, injured another 140 officers and led to four police suicides.

Despite this, Trump remains the dominant figure in the Republican Party and is openly speaking about running for the presidency again in 2024.