Former White House adviser subpoenaed by federal grand jury investigating Jan. 6 attack

A federal grand jury has subpoenaed former Trump White House adviser Pat Cipollone in its investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and attempts to overturn the 2020 election, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told ABC News.

The sources told ABC News that Cipollone’s lawyers — as they did with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack — are expected to engage in negotiations around each appearance, while weighing concerns about potential executive secrecy claims. .

The move to subpoena Cipollone signals an even more dramatic escalation in the Justice Department’s investigation into the Jan. 6 attack than previously known since senior members of former Vice President Mike Pence’s staff appeared before a grand jury two weeks ago.

Officials at the Department of Justice declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

A representative for Cipollone could not be reached for comment.

Last month, Cipollone spoke before the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 in a lengthy closed-door interview, portions of which were shown during two of the committee’s recent public hearings.

Cipollone spoke to the committee on a number of topics, including how he wants then-President Donald Trump to do more to quell the insurgency on the day of the attack and how Cabinet secretaries are considering convening a meeting to discuss Trump’s decision-making in the aftermath of the uprising.

Pat Cipollone attends a briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, March 29, 2020.

Patrick Semanski/AP, FILE

In videotaped testimony before the committee on Jan. 6, Cipollone made it clear that he wanted Trump to intervene sooner, while the attack was underway.

“I’ve been pretty clear that there needs to be an immediate and strong response, a statement, a public statement that people need to leave the Capitol now,” Cipollone said.

Committee members also questioned Cipollone about discussions among Trump’s cabinet members about invoking the 25th Amendment to potentially remove Trump from office before President Joe Biden’s inauguration.