Special counsel subpoenas Georgia, New Mexico officials in 2020 election probe
Special counsel Jack Smith has issued subpoenas to election officials in Georgia and New Mexico, including the secretary of state's offices in both states and officials in Georgia's Cobb County, for communications with or involving former President Donald Trump, his 2020 campaign aides, and a list of Trump allies involved in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
As ABC News previously reported, Smith has also sent subpoenas to the secretary of state's offices in Michigan and Arizona and to local election officials in Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin -- battleground states targeted by Trump and his allies in their efforts to contest the election.
The subpoena sent to New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, which was obtained by ABC News, is dated November 22 and is also signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Burke.
Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, was the recipient of Trump's now-famous phone call in January 2021, in which has asked Raffensperger to "find" the exact number of votes he needed to win the state. Trump has repeatedly defended the call, calling it "perfect."
Election officials in Cobb County, one of Georgia’s largest counties encompassing Atlanta’s northeastern suburbs, also received a subpoena from Smith, the county’s election director confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.
Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor and former head of the Justice Department's public integrity section, was tapped last month by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the DOJ's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump's handling of classified materials after leaving office.
The appointment of the special counsel was triggered by Trump's announcement last month that he is running for president for a third time, which created a conflict of interest, according to the DOJ special counsel guidelines.
