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MADISON, Dec. 6 (AP) — Special counsel Jake Smith has subpoenaed officials in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona to seek ties with former President Donald Trump, his campaign aides and those involved in his efforts to overturn the results. allies of the United States or be involved in the 2020 election.
The requests to Milwaukee and Dane counties, Wisconsin; Wayne County, Michigan; and Maricopa County, Ariz., are the first known subpoenas issued by Smith, who was appointed last month by Attorney General Merrick Garland for the special prosecutor.
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Smith is overseeing a Justice Department investigation into the existence of classified documents at Trump’s Florida estate and is key to another investigation involving the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and Trump’s frenzied efforts to stay in power. aspect.
The subpoena, first reported by The Washington Post, is the clearest sign yet that Smith’s work will include checks on fake voters as part of Trump’s effort to subvert election counting and certification.
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Milwaukee County Clerk George Christensen said he received the subpoena on Monday and is working with the county attorney to satisfy the request as quickly as possible.
“I don’t see any problem,” he said. “Many of these names are unfamiliar to me, so I don’t know how many of them have contacted us. For example, I don’t recall receiving anything from Rudy Giuliani. I think I will. But who knows.
Christensen said he hopes the documents will help the investigation, but he doesn’t want to hand over anything that hasn’t been made public.
“I don’t expect to find any hard evidence,” Christensen said.
Dane County Clerk Scott McDonald said he received a similar subpoena on Dec. 1 to communicate with “everyone you might expect.”
The only person on the list who has interacted with his office is Jim Troupis, Trump’s attorney in Wisconsin, McDonald said. Trump ordered a recount of Milwaukee and Dane counties, two of the largest Democratic counties, after the 2020 election. Troupis has spearheaded legal efforts not to count the tens of thousands of absentee ballots cast in that election, including his own.
Macdonald said he didn’t expect his response to the subpoena to reveal anything “that hasn’t been reported in the past.”
“I don’t have any stories about Trump calling me over dinner like everyone else,” McDonald said.
Michigan State Department spokesman Jack Rollo confirmed that Wayne County had received Smith’s subpoena but declined to provide further comment.
Maricopa County spokesman Fields Mosley said Maricopa County also received the subpoena and will comply.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on Tuesday. ___
Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan; Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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