US Capitol riot committee subpoenas Rudy Giuliani and other Trump lawyers

The investigation into the US Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas to Rudy Giuliani and other members of Trump’s legal team who tried to overturn the 2020 election result.

The congressional committee probing the Jan 6, 2021 insurrection issued subpoenas on Tuesday to three pro-Trump lawyers who joined him in his attempt to falsely claim the election was stolen.

The House of Representatives committee demanded former New York Mayor Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis hand over documents and sit for depositions on February 8.

The committee also subpoenaed Boris Epshteyn, a Trump political adviser.

Rep Bennie Thompson, the committee’s chairman, said in a statement the panel expects all four to appear to give evidence.

"The four individuals we’ve subpoenaed today 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," he said.

Robert Costello, a lawyer for Mr Giuliani, said that the subpoena was "political theatre" and that his client was constrained by the legal doctrines of attorney-client privilege.

"I don’t think there’s anything here he can testify about," Mr Costello said.

The three lawyers, Giuliani, Powell, and Ellis, jointly spoke at a Trump campaign news conference on November 19, 2020, days after the election, vowing to overturn Biden’s victory.

Mr Giuliani’s New York law licence was suspended in June, after a state appeals court found he had made "demonstrably false and misleading" statements that widespread voter fraud undermined the election.

The committee is aiming to release an interim report in the summer and a final report in the autumn, according to reports.

CNN reported on Tuesday that the committee has also subpoenaed and obtained records of phone numbers associated with one of Trump’s children, Eric Trump, as well as Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr’s fiance.

The Select Committee has said they will consider passing along any evidence of criminal conduct by Trump to the U.S. Justice Department.

The move, known as a criminal referral, would be largely symbolic but could increase the political pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to charge the former president.