Jan. 6 panel to seek contempt citation for Meadows
WASHINGTON – Leaders of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol said they would pursue a contempt citation for Mark Meadows, former Trump White House chief of staff, and recommend possible criminal charges.
Meadows, a former House member who defied a committee subpoena by refusing to testify Wednesday, became the third witness to tangle with the committee over subpoenas.
Political strategist Steve Bannon faces a July 18 trial on criminal contempt charges. The committee will meet again Dec. 16 with former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark before deciding whether to pursue contempt charges against him.
“There is no legitimate legal basis for Mr. Meadows to refuse to cooperate with the Select Committee and answer questions about the documents he produced, the personal devices and accounts he used, the events he wrote about in his newly released book, and, among other things, his other public statements,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, told Meadows’ lawyer Tuesday in a letter.