Latest subpoena shows Jan. 6 probe is 'rapidly becoming a criminal investigation': MSNBC analyst

A subpoena issued Thursday afternoon by the House select committee investigating the Captiol insurrection suggests that the probe is "rapidly becoming a criminal investigation," according to former acting U.S. solicitor general Neal Katyal.

The committee subpoenaed retired Army Col. Phil Waldron, the author of an infamous PowerPoint presentation outlining how former President Donald Trump could stay in power despite losing the 2020 election. The PowerPoint presentation was handed over to the committee by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

However, Katyal told MSNBC that the committee's decision to subpoena Waldron is about more than the PowerPoint presentation, which has been likened to "a blueprint for a coup."

"I think the documents are really important, but I think it's a lot more than the documents," Katyal said. "Actually, what this suggests to me is they are now circling around key individuals in power, both in Congress, the White House, and most specifically, Mark Meadows."

READ MORE: Author of Trump coup PowerPoint presentation hit with Jan. 6th Committee subpoena

Katyal noted that the letter from the committee to Waldron states that, according to public reporting, he claims to have visited the White House on multiple occasions, spoken to Meadows eight to ten times, and briefed members of Congress on election fraud theories.

"What Congress is doing here is they are really trying to get information not about Waldron per se, but about Waldron's contacts with Trump, with Meadows, and with members of Congress, and any of those individuals could violate that criminal statute ... obstruction of an official proceeding," Katyal said, adding that the letter also references language from the statute.

"So this is now rapidly becoming a criminal investigation, and a criminal investigation that looks not just at some of these low-level kooks, but people in positions of power," he added.

Watch below.

Neal Katyal on latest Jan. 6 subpoenawww.youtube.com