Two fringe far-right leaders in the “Groyper” movement were subpoenaed as part of the investigation into the Capitol riot, the House Jan. 6 committee announced Tuesday.
Nicholas Fuentes, the leader of the America First movement, and Patrick Casey, who was a top member of the Identity Evropa, were sent letters by Chairman Bennie Thompson demanding deposition testimony and documents. The panel says the two were present on the Capitol grounds the day of the riot.
“The Select Committee is seeking facts about the planning, coordination, and funding of events that preceded the violent attack on our democracy. We believe the individuals we have subpoenaed today have information relevant to those questions, and we expect them to cooperate with the committee. The committee will continue to push forward to get answers for the American people and help ensure nothing like January 6th ever happens again,” Thompson said in a statement.
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The letter to Fuentes said the “investigation and public reports have revealed credible evidence” that he was involved in the America First/Groyper movement.
“Prior to January 6th, you repeatedly advanced efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election,” Thompson wrote in the letter. “For example, on November 11, 2020, you organized a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally at the Michigan State Capitol.”
Thompson cited examples of posts and other instances at other “Stop the Steal” rallies in which Fuentes called for “the destruction of the Republican Party for failing to overturn the election.”
The Select Committee has issued subpoenas to Nicholas J. Fuentes and Patrick Casey.
The committee is demanding records and testimony from the two witnesses who promoted unsupported claims about the 2020 election and were present on the Capitol grounds on January 6th. pic.twitter.com/0mLN2C1a4k
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) January 19, 2022
The letter to Casey said there was “credible evidence” that he had been involved with the America First/Groyper movement.
On such instance Thompson noted in the letter happened Nov. 14, 2020, when both Casey and Fuentes “rallied with America First/Groyper followers at the Million MAGA March in Washington, D.C.,” during which they allegedly supported “election fraud theories.” The letter said Casey was also informed that he allegedly called “for Trump to rule for life.”
Groypers are described as being “a loose network of alt-right figures who are vocal supporters of white supremacist and ‘America First’ podcaster Nick Fuentes,” according to the Anti-Defamation League’s website.
“They couldn’t give me my own post?” Fuentes said in response to the committee’s request in a post on his Telegram channel. “What a rip.”
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The new round of subpoenas came the same day that the Supreme Court ruled against former President Donald Trump in his bid to block the National Archives from giving documents from his presidency to the Jan. 6 committee.
The committee announced subpoenas targeting four high-profile associates of Trump on Tuesday.
Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s personal lawyer and the leader for Trump’s 2020 election legal team, along with lawyers Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis were issued subpoenas. Republican strategist Boris Epshteyn also received a subpoena from the committee.
