On Monday, the House Select Committee unanimously voted to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress and it is now up to the Justice Department to file criminal charges against former President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff. will follow or not.
The vote, despite being pushed by a Democratic majority, marks a pivotal moment in examining Meadows’ role as Trump’s chief of staff on January 6 and his intimate knowledge of attempts to reverse the 2020 election. , Meadows is the second official to face such referrals from the panel. The committee approved a criminal contempt report against Trump aide Steve Bannon in October after he refused to comply with the summons deadline.
Meadows has consistently insisted he wants to save some of his conversations with the former president under claims of executive privilege, but has already handed over thousands of documents, which the panel says only require him to testify. calls for.
But so far, Meadows has refused to do so and her defiance is at the core of Tuesday’s vote to refer her on criminal charges.
Mississippi Democrat Committee Chair Benny Thompson said Tuesday: “The election committee report that refers to Mr. Meadows on charges of criminal contempt is clear and compelling.” “As Chief of Staff of the White House, Mr. Meadows participated in or witnessed major events prior to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.”
Meadows’ attorney issued a new statement Tuesday ahead of the full House vote, saying his client is still cooperating with the committee in some ways, but said he was forced to appear for questioning. should not be done. Because they don’t have a “license to waive executive privilege”. by Trump.
His lawyer, George J. Terwilliger III said in a statement, “Meadows has cooperated fully with documents that are not privileged and has sought various means to provide other information while respecting the former president’s claims of privilege. ” ,
Republican Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the select committee’s vice chairman, said Tuesday that Meadows had received several text messages urging Trump to take action to stop the riots claimed without the privilege.
Later on Tuesday, Thompson told CNN that the committee would “decide within a week or two when to be released”. After referencing many of the messages provided. As soon as the matter of uproar came to the fore, the MPs created a ruckus.
Thompson said committee members felt it was “important” to exclude the material before releasing the name.
“We will then do our review on the committee to see if and when we will release him,” Thompson said. “We’ll do it. I can’t tell you exactly when it will happen.”
Asked if there were any senators who sent the message to Meadows on January 6, Thompson revealed: “At this point in time, it’s just members of the House.”
He also said the panel would inform GOP members before taking any action.
Meanwhile, the selection committee continued its investigation, interviewing more witnesses on Tuesday, including former Vice President Mike Pence’s national security adviser Keith Kellogg.
Last month, Kellogg became the first person in Pence’s inner circle to be summoned by the committee. In its letter to Kellogg, the committee specifically expressed interest in learning more about the January 2021 meeting with Trump and White House counsel Pat Cipollone, during which Trump insisted that Pence be elected. Go and certify no other meeting.
Kellogg is considered a key witness on January 6 because of his proximity to Trump. The then national security adviser to former President Robert O’Brien was out of town that day.
Kellogg’s attorney told CNN on Tuesday that his client is testifying and is cooperating with investigators. The attorney also said that Kellogg did not claim executive privilege over testimony or documents.
While a committee aide declined to comment about what was asked or answered during the statement, he did not deny the claim that Kellogg is cooperating with the panel.
The panel also spoke with Dustin Stockton, one of the organizers behind the pro-Trump rallies that took place on January 5 and 6.
Before the meeting with the committee, Stockton’s attorney, Josh Ness, told reporters that his client had “very senior in the former presidential class”, as well as text messages and emails with members of Congress, that he was on the committee. Will hand over on Tuesday.
Those lawmakers and those close to Trump have “good reason to shiver in their shoes today,” Nas said.
“We’re talking about all kinds of … email correspondence, text messages,” he said.
This story has been updated on Tuesday with additional development.
CNN’s Ryan Nobles, Kristin Wilson, Holmes Lybrand and Manu Raju contributed to this report.