Congressman Benny Thompson announced today that the committee has reached a settlement with Meadows after two months of negotiations and after the Justice Department accused Steve Bannon, a former Trump aide, of contempt of Congress when he refused to testify and turn over documents to the committee. Investigation of the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill, which was invaded by Trump supporters.
Bennie Thompson reports that as part of their collaboration, the Meadows have already submitted documents and are available to make a statement.
“The commission expects all witnesses, including Meadows, to provide all information requested,” Thompson said in a statement.
George Terwilliger, Meadows’ attorney, said he would work with the commission and that his client would not invoke the right not to make statements given his status as a former White House counsel.
The agreement with Meadows would allow for a better understanding of Donald Trump’s role in the Capitol invasion, after the former president refused access to private conversations with his advisers at the time of the events.
The congressional committee has challenged Trump’s arguments, but its priority now is to act quickly on the investigation and avoid legal complications that could delay the process.
Members of the congressional committee say the questions they will ask Meadows do not directly relate to this former White House aide’s conversations with Trump, and therefore cannot be dismissed in light of presidential privilege.
The committee’s subpoena cited Meadows’ efforts to disrupt the validation process for Joe Biden’s presidential victory and pressure state officials to support the false allegations of the former president, who denounced electoral fraud.
