Justice Department subpoenas Maricopa County’s communications with Trump’s 2020 campaign

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Maricopa County says it has received a subpoena related to communications with the Trump campaign and his various aides and allies.

It comes as the investigation continues as a special counsel asks for records in three states that Trump lost that his campaign allegedly reached out in an attempt to stay in power. The Washington Post first reported the news that requests dealt with “multiple counties targeted by Trump” are the first known requests in the Jan. 6 probe by special counselor Jack Smith.

“Maricopa County has received a subpoena and will comply,” a county spokesperson told Arizona’s Family. Other counties named in the report included Dane County and Milwaukee County in Wisconsin; and Wayne County. Michigan.

A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment to the Washington Post and the Associated Press.

News of the subpoenas comes as the Associated Press reported on Tuesday that “The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will make criminal referrals to the Justice Department as it wraps up its probe and looks to publish a final report by the end of the year,” according to the panel’s chairman.

Smith is overseeing the Justice Department’s investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump’s Florida estate as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the violent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump’s frantic efforts to remain in power.

The subpoenas, first reported by The Washington Post, are the clearest indication yet that Smith’s work will include an examination of the fake electors that were part of Trump’s efforts to subvert the election count and certification.

Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said he received the subpoena on Monday and is working with the county’s attorney to comply with the request as soon as possible.

“I don’t see any issues with it,” he said. “Many of those names aren’t familiar to me, so I don’t know how many of those individuals did reach out to us. For example, I don’t recall receiving anything from Rudy Giuliani. I think I would have remembered that. But who knows.”

Christenson said he hoped the documents would help with the investigation, but he didn’t expect to turn over anything that hasn’t already been made public.

“I don’t expect to find any smoking gun,” Christenson said.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said he received a similar subpoena on Dec. 1, asking for communications he had with “the gang of people you would sort of expect.”

McDonell said the only person on the list that his office had interaction with was Jim Troupis, Trump’s Wisconsin-based attorney. Trump ordered a recount of ballots cast in Milwaukee and Dane counties, the two largest Democratic counties in Wisconsin, following the 2020 election. Troupis spearheaded the legal effort not to count tens of thousands of ballots cast absentee in that election, including his own.

McDonell said he didn’t expect his response to the subpoena to reveal anything that “hasn’t been covered in the past.”

“I don’t have any stories of Trump calling me at dinner like the other guys,” McDonell said.

Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of State, confirmed that Wayne County had received a subpoena from Smith but declined to did provide additional comment.

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