Mark Meadows, Trump's Chief Of Staff, Cooperates With The Jan. 6 Panel, Averting A Contempt Showdown For The Time Being
Former President Donald Trump's closest circle advisors are being subpoenaed by House investigators. This is what we know so far.
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is now working with a House committee probing the Capitol insurgency on January 6, perhaps avoiding a contempt citation for refusing to comply with the panel's subpoena for records and testimony.
"Through his attorney, Mr. Meadows has been communicating with the Select Committee." "Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, said Tuesday that he is the chairman of the committee. "He has provided the committee with records and will attend for an initial deposition shortly."
While Thompson praised Meadows' cooperation, he did not rule out further action.
"After the deposition, the committee will continue to analyze his level of compliance with our subpoena," the chairman stated.
Meadows was one of a slew of former administration officials and campaign aides who refused to participate with the probe. In a federal appeals court on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump is fighting a subpoena for documents from his administration. In addition, Trump political strategist Steve Bannon has been charged with criminal contempt by the Justice Department.
Meadows' lawyer, George Terwilliger, said earlier this month that the former chief of staff would not comply with the committee until Trump's executive privilege claims were handled in court.
Terwilliger said on Tuesday that his client was giving "voluntary responses" that did not contain confidential conversations.
"We continue to work with the Select Committee and its staff to see if we can reach an accommodation that does not require Mr. Meadows to waive Executive Privilege or to abandon his long-held position that senior White House aides cannot be compelled to testify before Congress," Terwilliger said in a statement.
Meadows' conversations with Trump on Jan. 6 and with organizers of a rally where the president spoke before a mob invaded the Capitol were subpoenaed by the committee on Sept. 23.