Lawmakers probing the deadly January 6 assault on the US Capitol on Monday issued subpoenas to top aides of former President Donald Trump who are accused of plotting to overturn his defeat in a "war room" at a luxury Washington hotel, AFP reported.
According to the report, lawyer John Eastman was among a number of advisors summoned to explain their role in the talks at the Willard InterContinental in the days surrounding the attack.
Eastman is said to have drafted a memo advising Trump that his Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to simply reject the results in certain states and deny Biden the victory.
He also reportedly hosted a January 2 meeting where he told around 300 state legislators it was their duty to fix "this egregious conduct and make sure that we're not putting in the White House some guy that didn't get elected."
Crucially, Eastman reportedly participated in a January 5 "war room" meeting at the Willard and spoke at a rally near the White House that preceded the attack, according to the report.
He reportedly sent Pence's lawyer an email during the siege, saying it had happened was "because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way."
"Your documents and testimony are directly relevant to the select committee's investigation, as you appear to have been instrumental in advising President Trump that Vice President Pence could determine which electors were recognized on January 6, a view that many of those who attacked the Capitol apparently also shared," the committee told Eastman in its subpoena.
Other people subpoenaed on Monday include former New York police chief Bernard Kerik and one-time Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller, who are both said to have attended the January 5 "war room."
Mike Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor was also summoned, alongside reelection campaign manager William Stepien and executive assistant Angela McCallum, according to AFP.
The committee previously summoned four Trump allies, including his former aide Steve Bannon, former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Kash Patel, a former chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller who had also served as an aide to Republican Rep. Devin Nunes.
In late October, the House of Representatives voted to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena.