If Mark Meadows has ever wondered what the inside of a federal prison cell looks like, he may not need to imagine it for much longer. The January 6th Select Committee is done playing around with Donald Trump’s cronies, some of whom have refused to comply with their subpoenas—Meadows included. (Though Mike Pence’s crew is apparently itching to.)
According to Politico, committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson sent a letter to Meadows’s attorney, warning him that if he client continues to ignore their requests to be deposed, they will be forced to take further action, including holding him in contempt. “Simply put,” Thompson wrote. “there is no valid legal basis for Mr. Meadows’s continued resistance to the Select Committee’s subpoena.”
Politico’s Kyle Cheney writes this latest letter marks the third threat of contempt in just a few weeks, still Meadows isn’t budging. George Terwilliger III, Meadows’s attorney, issued a statement on Thursday in which he said that his client was “immune” from congressional testimony, and claimed that Joe Biden is“the first President to make no effort whatsoever to protect presidential communications from being the subject of compelled testimony.”
Though Biden has waived any powers of “executive privilege” that Trump has attempted to claim in this matter, Trump’s former colleagues are still referring to him for advice on how to move forward. But the committee isn’t changing its tune either and, after consulting with various experts, claims Meadows hasn’t got a legal leg to stand on in this matter. They’re demanding that he turn over all requested documents and show up to be deposed by Friday (yes, tomorrow) or else…
So far, Trump’s staunch commitment to not giving the committee any information has been working—which, of course, only makes him seem more guilty of conspiring to trigger the events of January 6th and the attack on the Capitol. According to Politico: “Thompson noted that even if Meadows intended to fight the committee’s requests, he was required to appear and assert any privileges he thinks would bar his testimony.”
As of this moment, the committee is still getting the silent treatment. Tick tock, tick tock.
(Via Politico)