Special counsel seeks information on who is paying Trump orbit legal bills as investigation intensifies | CNN Politics

CNN
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A new round of subpoenas were sent to former President Donald Trump’s associates in recent weeks as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources familiar with the probe tell CNN.

Amid the extensive requests for information are new questions from federal investigators about who is paying for legal representation for subpoena recipients.

The subpoenas, as described to CNN, asked individuals not only how their legal bills were being footed but also to provide a copy of the lawyer retention agreement if the bills were being covered by anyone other than themselves.

This comes after Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, told the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack that she switched lawyers because she felt uncomfortable with the actions of her Trump-funded attorney. Hutchinson said she was repeatedly urged to downplay her role in the White House and say she did not recall certain events.

Revelations about this line of inquiry regarding the funding of legal representation comes amid a flurry of recent investigative activity.

Subpoenas for witnesses close to Trump also have asked for additional information regarding fundraising efforts and Trump-aligned fundraising groups, sources tell CNN. Within the last few weeks, several Trump associates have appeared in front of a grand jury in Washington, DC.

CNN previously reported that Smith’s team has subpoenaed Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, asking him to turn over records to a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into the former president’s fundraising following the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the subpoena.