Former Trump White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere spoke on Thursday with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Deere, who served in the Trump White House for roughly three years, left his meeting with the committee at 4:45 p.m. after nearly seven hours inside the panel’s closed meeting room, according to pool reports.
The former White House official currently serves as deputy chief of staff for communications for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). Politico first reported on his meeting with the Jan. 6 committee.
The panel issued a subpoena to Deere in January, according to CNN, and requested documents and the ex-spokesman’s presence at a February deposition. The letter to Deere said he assisted with “formulating White House’s response to the January 6 attack as it occurred,” the network reported.
The panel is interested in discussing a Jan. 5 staff meeting in the Oval Office that then-President Trump was present at, according to the letter cited by CNN. Investigators reportedly said they obtained information that Trump, during the meeting, had asked a number of times, “What are your ideas for getting the RINOs to do the right thing tomorrow? How do we convince Congress?” using an acronym meaning “Republican in name only.”
Deere was included in the Jan. 6 panel’s request to the National Archives for communications from Trump White House figures, Politico noted.
News of Deere speaking to the Jan. 6 committee comes after former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany spoke with the panel in January after being issued a subpoena late last year.
The Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed at least 88 people and organizations for its probe into the facts and circumstances surrounding the attack.
The Hill has reached out to the Jan. 6 panel for more information.
Updated: 7:45 p.m.