The calls, three of which were reviewed by The Washington Post, are extensive, covering 18 separate categories of information, including any communications the recipients had with multiple people in six states where supporters of then-President Donald Trump sought to promote “surrogate” electors. to replace voters in those states that Biden won. One request is for any communications “to, from or including” specific individuals associated with such efforts in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Most of the names listed were proposed fraudulent voters in those states, while a small number were Trump campaign officials who organized the pranks. Taken together, the subpoenas show an investigation that began soon after the invasion of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and has been ever-widening even as it collects information on people in the former president’s inner circle. “It looks like a multifaceted fraud and obstruction investigation,” said Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor. “It strikes me that they’re going after a very, very large group of people, and I assume they’ll make all the charging decisions toward the end.” After being told the various categories of information sought in the indictment, Walden noted the focus on broad categories of communications between individuals. He said he suspected it was part of a prosecutorial strategy to try to play down any claims that Trump activists were simply following the advice of lawyers in trying to block the certification of Biden’s victory. “It’s hard to say you’re just relying on all these lawyers if there are text strings that show conspiratorial conversations or consciousness of guilt,” Walden said. Prosecutors are seeking information on Trump PAC fundraising A subpoena is not evidence or even proof of a crime, but rather a demand for information that could produce evidence of criminal conduct. The new batch of subpoenas address three main areas of DOJ interest, distinct but related:

the effort to replace eligible Biden voters with unearned, pro-Trump voters before the official congressional count of the 2020 election result on January 6, 2021 the rally that preceded the riot that day the fundraising and spending of political action committee Save America, an entity that has raised more than $100 million in the wake of the 2020 election, relying largely on calls for pro-Trump legal challenges to the election results.

Even those three points do not capture other, important parts of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation, which has arrested more than 870 people for alleged crimes of violence, trespass and — in the case of two extremist groups that prosecutors say played key roles in chaos — contentious conspiracy. Hundreds more are wanted for crimes related to the insurgency. The Justice Department’s inspector general is investigating a former senior Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, for possible conspiracy, perjury and obstruction, according to a new letter filed in his disciplinary case. According to emails and public testimony, Clark tried to get the Justice Department to publicly cast doubt on the election results, even going so far as to be willing to take over the department from his then-boss, Jeffrey Rosen, to do so. He denied committing a crime. In another indication that the role of the Justice Department itself in 2020 is also part of the growing investigation, the latest subpoenas seek any communication with “any member, employee, or agent of the United States Department of Justice, or any component, branch, judicial unit or office’ of the organization. Echoes of Watergate: Trump’s appointees reveal his push to subvert the Justice Department. The calls reviewed by The Post also seek broad categories of additional information from recipients, which include former Trump aides and Republican activists. The subpoenas require recipients to produce, within two weeks, all documents and notices “related to the certification” of the election, as well as anything “related to or constituting evidence (a) tending to show that there was fraud of any kind related to the 2020 Presidential Election or (b) used or relied upon to support any allegation of fraud in connection with the 2020 Presidential Election.” It also seeks any documentation “regarding any information transmitted to you or any other person that disputes, contradicts, undermines, tends to show or alleges that there was no fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election or alleges or tends to show that any allegation that fraud was baseless, unsubstantiated, or false in whole or in part,” as well as anything sent to a local, state, or federal official regarding allegations of election fraud or efforts to persuade government officials to “alter or influence” election results,” or delaying certification of the results.” Some of the people who received calls said there was no way they could comply within the two-week time frame because there were so many categories of information and so many things to review, and some of the recipients don’t even have lawyers yet. It is not unusual for call takers to seek and take more time to provide all the requested information. Two Trump advisers said more than 30 people received calls during the investigation, including some who were low-level administration staff. Trump’s team is arranging lawyers for at least some of the subpoenaed aides, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation. Trump himself has not received a subpoena, according to a person close to him, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. More than 840 suspects had been charged by July in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot The flurry of calls comes about two months after a similar flurry in mid-June that sought to contact dozens of people, including Trump lawyers and advocates such as Rudy Giuliani, Bernard Kerik and others. Kerik is among those subpoenaed this month, showing that the Justice Department, which was criticized by some lawyers earlier this year for not aggressively investigating people close to Trump, is now looking into the conduct of many different categories of people — including some very close to the former president. Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, received a subpoena earlier this summer seeking documents he had already turned over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack and has turned over the responsive records, a person familiar with the subpoena said. who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The subpoena did not seek Meadows’ testimony or the documents he had withheld from the committee by invoking executive privilege, the person said. CNN reported late Wednesday that Meadows provided documents to a Justice Department subpoena. Another former senior Trump adviser, Stephen Miller, was also subpoenaed. His subpoena was first reported by The New York Times. Prosecutors investigating Trump’s actions in the Jan. 6 probe After turning over thousands of emails and text messages to the House committee in response to a congressional subpoena, Meadows cut off his cooperation with that panel, citing executive privilege. He also sued the House, seeking to quash the congressional subpoena. that case remains pending in federal court. “Without confirming or denying any interaction with the Justice Department’s investigation, Mr. Meadows’ position has been to meet his legal obligations both to produce and to privilege documents or testimony,” said George Terwilliger III, the attorney. of Meadows. Meadows is far from the only recipient of a subpoena who has been asked to provide the Justice Department with records they have already provided to the House committee. But the new batch of subpoenas asks others not only for what they have turned over to the committee, but for whatever documentation they have that would meet the committee’s request — indicating that federal prosecutors are trying to make sure that if witnesses have come up with new material, that they should provide that too. The status of key investigations involving Donald Trump The request for copies of what had already been given to the committee on Jan. 6 also highlights a long-standing problem for the Justice Department — the House committee was slow to give the department access to the committee’s records, a potentially crucial issue as prosecutors prepare to go to trial against members of the Oath Keepers group and others. The new calls appear to be an attempt by the department, at least in part, to gather that evidence through other means. The subpoenas also seek all “documents and communications related to Save America PAC, including but not limited to documents related to the formation of Save America PAC, the funding of Save America PAC, and/or the use of money received from Save America PAC.” In seeking information about the political action committee, the Justice Department appears to be looking for evidence of fraud. Prosecutors must meet a high legal bar to bring criminal charges in such cases. “You have to prove they knew it was a lie and fraudulently raised money anyway,” said a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. “I’m not sure about any of the people [who donated to the PAC] I would like action.” The Justice Department has added fraud and public corruption experts to its investigative team,…