‘Stop the Steal’ leader cooperating with DOJ’s investigation of Capitol riot

By Paula Reid, CNN

Ali Alexander, a key figure in the “Stop the Steal” movement following the 2020 presidential election, says he has received a grand jury subpoena and has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

He is the first high-profile figure to confirm cooperation in the government’s expanding criminal probe.

The New York Times first reported on his cooperation.

In a statement issued through one of his lawyers, Alexander said that “the subpoena says that I’m not a target but wants information about the ‘Women for America First’ ‘Save America March’ event that preceded the riot.”

“I don’t believe I have information that will be useful to them but I’m cooperating as best I can further reiterating that I’m not a target because I did nothing wrong,” he said.

Alexander continued: “I denounce anyone who planned to subvert my permitted event and the other permitted events of that day on Capitol grounds to stage any counterproductive activities.”

Alexander is a central figure for investigators seeking to understand how the rallies on January 6 were funded, organized and promoted and eventually erupted into an attack at the Capitol intended to stop the certification of electoral votes for Joe Biden’s presidency.

Alexander in December handed over to the House select committee investigating January 6 thousands of text messages and communication records that include his interactions with members of Congress and former President Donald Trump’s inner circle leading up to the riot, according to a court document submitted at the time.

The revelations emerged from his challenge to the committee’s effort to obtain his phone records directly from his telecommunications provider.

“Alexander received a notice from Verizon that the Select Committee had subpoenaed Verizon for nine categories of information associated with Alexander’s personal cell phone number,” the filing said. “The data sought is not pertinent to the investigation and sweeps up privileged communications between Alexander and clergy, Alexander and people he spiritually counsels and Alexander and his respective attorneys.”

The move came after Alexander had sat for several hours of testimony with the committee.

“I’m going to go in there and cooperate where I can, where I can’t I’ll invoke my constitutional rights. We’ve got tons of evidence for them,” Alexander said before going into the closed-door deposition.

“We’ve provided the committee with thousands of records, hundreds of pages,” he said. “And you know, unfortunately, I think that this committee has gone way too much into our personal life, way too much into my First Amendment. But I do recognize they have a legislative duty to conduct it, so we’re here to cooperate.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

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