https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/09/january-6-rally-contempt-ruling-00444812
https://archive.ph/TDguJ
A federal judge found GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren in civil contempt for failing to produce records related to the rally.
NEW YORK — A federal judge has ordered one of the organizers of Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally to pay a daily $2,000 fine, after weeks of skirting a civil court subpoena for records related to her role in the events.
Caroline Wren, a longtime Republican fundraiser, was a liaison between the Trump White House and participants in the Jan. 6 rally, helping arrange speakers, coordinate the timeline and boost attendance. She’s among the many witnesses subpoenaed by Capitol Police officers suing Trump, accusing him of fomenting the violence that occurred that day, in a lawsuit that has been pending for four years.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks issued the order Wednesday after Wren was a no-show at a last-ditch hearing to explain why she hasn’t complied with the subpoena. He said the daily fine — one he said needed to be “stiff enough to enforce compliance” — was his preferred course of action.
“I don’t want to resort to incarceration if at all possible,” the judge said.
Wren did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She’s not the only witness facing scrutiny from a federal court over defiance of a subpoena in the lawsuit.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for the police officers told U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that “there’s really been radio silence” in response to their April 2024 subpoena to Rudy Giuliani, whom the officers say was “heavily involved in core aspects” of the events of Jan. 6.
The lawyer, Joshua Margolin, said he has never heard from Giuliani or a lawyer representing him in the case. “As you can see,” he told the judge while gesturing to an empty table behind him, “there’s no counsel for him.”
Ramos indicated he would issue a written decision on the matter soon, adding: “I know just from life that Mr. Giuliani has had more than one case in this court. … He’s not a stranger to this court for a number of reasons.”
Lawyers for the Capitol and D.C. police officers subpoenaed Wren in May 2024, after spending a year trying to formally serve her with the binding document. After she skipped the subpoena deadline, Middlebrooks granted an effort to legally compel her to comply. U.S. marshals served her with Middlebrooks’ order Feb. 7, 2025.
The attorneys said Wren still has not made contact or shown any effort to comply with the court’s orders and the original subpoena, leading them to seek contempt and sanctions to compel her cooperation.
“I do find her in civil contempt and will impose a fine of $2,000 a day until she complies,” Middlebrooks said at the hearing.
Middlebrooks hinted again at the possibility of jail for Wren if she doesn’t comply after being fined, suggesting “we may need to take additional steps, but I hope that’s not necessary.”
“I don’t want to involve the marshals again unless we have to take another step to force compliance,” he added.
https://archive.ph/TDguJ
A federal judge found GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren in civil contempt for failing to produce records related to the rally.
NEW YORK — A federal judge has ordered one of the organizers of Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally to pay a daily $2,000 fine, after weeks of skirting a civil court subpoena for records related to her role in the events.
Caroline Wren, a longtime Republican fundraiser, was a liaison between the Trump White House and participants in the Jan. 6 rally, helping arrange speakers, coordinate the timeline and boost attendance. She’s among the many witnesses subpoenaed by Capitol Police officers suing Trump, accusing him of fomenting the violence that occurred that day, in a lawsuit that has been pending for four years.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks issued the order Wednesday after Wren was a no-show at a last-ditch hearing to explain why she hasn’t complied with the subpoena. He said the daily fine — one he said needed to be “stiff enough to enforce compliance” — was his preferred course of action.
“I don’t want to resort to incarceration if at all possible,” the judge said.
Wren did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She’s not the only witness facing scrutiny from a federal court over defiance of a subpoena in the lawsuit.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for the police officers told U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that “there’s really been radio silence” in response to their April 2024 subpoena to Rudy Giuliani, whom the officers say was “heavily involved in core aspects” of the events of Jan. 6.
The lawyer, Joshua Margolin, said he has never heard from Giuliani or a lawyer representing him in the case. “As you can see,” he told the judge while gesturing to an empty table behind him, “there’s no counsel for him.”
Ramos indicated he would issue a written decision on the matter soon, adding: “I know just from life that Mr. Giuliani has had more than one case in this court. … He’s not a stranger to this court for a number of reasons.”
Lawyers for the Capitol and D.C. police officers subpoenaed Wren in May 2024, after spending a year trying to formally serve her with the binding document. After she skipped the subpoena deadline, Middlebrooks granted an effort to legally compel her to comply. U.S. marshals served her with Middlebrooks’ order Feb. 7, 2025.
The attorneys said Wren still has not made contact or shown any effort to comply with the court’s orders and the original subpoena, leading them to seek contempt and sanctions to compel her cooperation.
“I do find her in civil contempt and will impose a fine of $2,000 a day until she complies,” Middlebrooks said at the hearing.
Middlebrooks hinted again at the possibility of jail for Wren if she doesn’t comply after being fined, suggesting “we may need to take additional steps, but I hope that’s not necessary.”
“I don’t want to involve the marshals again unless we have to take another step to force compliance,” he added.
