The U.S. Justice Department has issued about 40 subpoenas over the past week seeking information about efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election, the New York Times reported on Monday.

Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump adviser, and Mike Roman, a campaign strategist for Trump, had their phones seized last week as evidence, the Times said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Dan Scavino, Trump's former social media director, was also among those who were subpoenaed, according to the paper, which said the group included low-level aides as well as senior advisers.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department said it would support Raymond Dearie, a candidate backed by Trump, for the role of independent arbiter, known as a special master, to examine the contents of classified documents seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation from Trump's Florida estate last month.

It backed either of its own two candidates or Dearie, it said in a court filing, but rejected a second Trump pick, Paul Huck.