The U.S. congressional committee probing the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by an angry mob of Trump supporters, militia members and white supremacists voted unanimously on Monday to seek “contempt of Congress” charges against Mark Meadows, who served as White House chief of staff to former President Donald Trump.
During that same session on Dec. 13, Committee Vice Chair Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, read several texts that the committee obtained from Meadows from the day of the Capitol assault. The texts were from several Fox News hosts, as well as Donald Trump Jr., who pleaded with Meadows to convince then-President Trump to say something to stop the mob and send them home.
“These messages leave no doubt that the White House knew exactly what was happening here at the capitol,” Cheney said. “Members of Congress, the press and others wrote to Mark Meadows as the attack was underway.”
The attack occurred in a brazen effort to stop the Congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the November 2020 presidential election.
Cheney said that dozens of texts “urged immediate action by the president” to end the insurrection.
“Indeed, according to the records, multiple Fox News hosts knew the president needed to act immediately,” Cheney add, identifying Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade among those who sent Meadows texts that day. Trump Jr. also texted Meadows that “he’s [Trump] got to condemn this shit ASAP.”
“Meadows responded, quote, ‘I’m pushing it hard, I agree,'” Cheney said. “Still, President Trump did not immediately act.”
Despite their behind-the-scenes pleading, all three Fox News hosts made on-air statements dismissing Trump supporters’ involvement in the insurrection, falsely claiming it was the work of antifa.
Cheney said that the texts were evidence “of President Trump’s supreme dereliction of duty during those 187 minutes” that the attack occurred.
Unanimous contempt vote
The seven Democratic and two Republican members of the House of Representatives Select Committee approved a report recommending the criminal charge against Meadows by a 9-0 vote. The full, Democratic-led House could vote as soon as Tuesday to approve the resolution.
Meadows has been called repeatedly to appear for depositions before the Democratic-led committee and has declined to do so despite being subpoenaed.
While he has turned over some information requested by the panel, he has held back many documents, arguing they are protected because he had worked for the president.
Asked about the committee decision in a Fox News Channel interview, Meadows said: “Obviously it’s disappointing but not surprising.”
Meadows, who was a member of the House for more than seven years until joining the Trump administration in 2020, has sued the committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the matter.
His attorney, George Terwilliger, also sent a letter on Monday asking the committee to reconsider its plan to vote, arguing that it would be illegal for the panel to refer the matter for a House vote.
Representative Bennie Thompson, the Select Committee’s chairman, discounted that argument, noting that Meadows published and is promoting a book that goes into detail about events being investigated.
“He has no credible excuse for stonewalling the Select Committee’s investigation,” Thompson said.
Thompson said about 300 witnesses have testified, and its investigators have received more than 30,000 records.
“A small group of people have gotten a lot of attention because of their defiance. But many others have taken a different path and provided important information about January 6 and the context in which the riot occurred,” Thompson said.
‘Protect pro-Trump people’
In its report on Sunday recommending the contempt charge, the Select Committee said Meadows stated in an email ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that the U.S. National Guard would “protect pro-Trump people.”
Cheney said the committee wanted Meadows to testify about “dozens of texts” he was sent during the Capitol attack.
“We cannot surrender to President Trump’s efforts to hide what happened,” she said.
Committee members also said they wanted to ask Meadows about his text messages from members of Congress – who were not named – discussing ways to avoiding certifying the election result.
Meadows could become the third associate of the former Republican president to face a criminal contempt of Congress charge. The Justice Department, at the House’s request, has already brought similar charges against Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon. The House is also considering similar action against former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark.
Trump, at a rally on Jan. 6, repeated his false claim that his loss to Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2020 election was the result of widespread fraud, and urged his supporters to march on the Capitol.
“You don’t concede when there’s theft involved,” Trump said at the rally preceding the putsch. “Our country has had enough and we will not take it any more.”
Four people died on the day of the riot, and one Capitol police officer died the next day of injuries sustained while defending Congress. Hundreds of police were injured during the multi-hour onslaught by Trump supporters hoping to stop formal certification of his election defeat, and four officers have since taken their own lives.
With reporting by Robert Pozarycki
