Attorneys for Proud Boys move to subpoena Trump

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Attorneys for five members of the Proud Boys plan on asking the Department of Justice for help in serving a subpoena to former President Donald Trump.

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right extremist group, and four other members are facing seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. One of those defendants, Joe Biggs, is a Proud Boys organizer from Florida. His lawyer, Norm Pattis, said on Thursday that he intends on subpoenaing Trump to appear in court in March, and wants the Justice Department to help ensure Trump is served and follows through.

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Dustin Thompson, a Jan. 6 defendant who was convicted in late 2022 of six counts related to the attack, wanted to subpoena Trump in his case, but the judge ruled the former president's testimony was inadmissible and stopped Thompson's lawyer from issuing a subpoena. It's not clear if the judge in the Proud Boys' case, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, will make a similar ruling or permit the subpoena.

Biggs, Tarrio, and their co-defendants Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, have been accused of plotting to use force to stop the transfer of presidential power. Their trial began in January, and during opening statements, Tarrio's lawyer, Sabino Jauregui, said it was Trump who "unleashed the mob" on Jan. 6.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.