Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

House nears vote to hold Meadows in contempt in Jan. 6 probe

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Share
WASHINGTON -

The House on Tuesday debated recommending criminal contempt charges against former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after he ceased cooperating with the Jan. 6 committee investigating the Capitol insurrection.

If approved, it would be the first time the House voted to hold a former member in contempt since the 1830s, according to the chamber's records. But it's the second time the special committee has sought to punish a witness for defying a subpoena.

It's the latest show of force by the Jan. 6 panel, which is leaving no angle unexplored — and no subpoena unanswered — as it investigates the worst attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years. Lawmakers on the panel are determined to get answers quickly, and in doing so reassert the congressional authority that eroded while former U.S. president Donald Trump was in office.

"History will be written about these times, about the work this committee has undertaken," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, R-Miss., the chairman. "And history will not look upon any of you as a martyr. History will not look upon you as a victim."

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., another member of the panel, began Tuesday's debate by reading frantic texts from the day of the attack revealing members of Congress, Fox News anchors and even Trump's son urging Meadows to persuade the outgoing president to act quickly to stop the three-hour assault by his supporters.

The nine-member panel voted 9-0 Monday night to recommend charges against the former North Carolina congressman who left in March 2020 to become Trump's chief of staff. Approval by the full House would refer the issue to the U.S. Justice Department, which would decide whether to prosecute. If convicted, Bannon and Meadows could face up to one year behind bars on each charge.

Republicans on Tuesday called the action against Meadows a distraction from the House's work, with one member calling it "evil" and "un-American."

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, took to the floor to praise Meadows: "Make no mistake, when Democrats vote in favor of this resolution, it is a vote to put a good man in prison."

Trump has also defended Meadows in an interview, saying, "I think Mark should do what's right. He's an honourable man. He shouldn't be put through this."

And Meadows' attorney George Terwilliger defended his client in a statement before the vote, noting that he had provided documents to the panel and maintaining that he should not be compelled to appear for an interview.

He said, "The Select Committee's true intentions in dealing with Mr. Meadows have been revealed when it accuses him of contempt citing the very documents his cooperation has produced."

Meadows himself has sued the panel, asking a court to invalidate two subpoenas that he says are "overly broad and unduly burdensome."

Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters "I do think we're all watching, as you are, what is unfolding on the House side. And it will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved."

He added that he was not in contact with Meadows on the day of the attack.

Democrats quoted at length from Jan. 6 text messages provided by Meadows while he was cooperating with the committee.

"We need an Oval Office address," Donald Trump Jr. texted, the committee said, as his father's supporters were breaking into the Capitol, sending lawmakers running for their lives and interrupting the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory. "He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand."

Trump Jr. added, "He's got to condemn this s--- ASAP." In response to one of Trump Jr.'s texts, Meadows said: "I'm pushing it hard. I agree."

Members of the committee said the texts raise fresh questions about what was happening at the White House — and what Trump himself was doing — as the attack was underway. The committee had planned to question Meadows about the communications, including 6,600 pages of records taken from personal email accounts and about 2,000 text messages. The panel has not released any of the communications in full.

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the panel's vice chairwoman, said at the committee's Monday evening meeting that an important issue raised by the texts is whether Trump sought to obstruct the congressional certification by refusing to send a strong message to the rioters to stop.

"These texts leave no doubt," Cheney said. "The White House knew exactly what was happening at the Capitol."

The investigating panel has already interviewed more than 300 witnesses, and subpoenaed more than 40 people, as it seeks to create the most comprehensive record yet of the lead-up to the insurrection and of the violent siege itself.

If Meadows had appeared for his deposition, lawmakers had planned to ask him about Trump's efforts to overturn the election in the weeks before the insurrection, including his outreach to states and his communications with members of Congress.

The panel says it wanted to know more about whether Trump was engaged in discussions regarding the response of the National Guard, which was delayed for hours as the violence escalated and the rioters beat police guarding the Capitol building.

The documents provided by Meadows include an email he sent to an unidentified person saying that the Guard would be present to "protect pro Trump people," the panel said, and that more would be available on standby. The committee did not release any additional details about that email.

Committee staff said they would have interviewed Meadows about emails "to leadership at the Department of Justice on December 29th and 30th, 2020, and January 1st, 2021, encouraging investigations of suspected voter fraud," even though election officials and courts across the country had rejected those claims.

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.

A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.

Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.

On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

Local Spotlight

Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.

Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.