WASHINGTON (AP) – A former White House official has told a House of Representatives committee investigating the Capitol riot that President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has been notified of intelligence reports showing potential violence. -what published transcripts.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a special aide to Trump’s White House, told the committee that “there are concerns raised” in Meadows before the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol, but it was unclear what Meadows did with the information.
“I only remember Mr. Ornato coming in and saying we have intelligence reports that there could be potential violence on the 6th,” Hutchinson said, possibly referring to Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official. “And Mr. Meadows said, ‘Okay. Let’s talk about it. “
The exact nature of Meadows’ statement is not clear from Hutchinson’s testimony. Although law enforcement was preparing for potential violence on January 6, officials had not properly recognized the prospect of a violent mob attacking the Capitol.
Late Friday’s filing is the latest in a long court battle over the extent to which Meadows, whose closeness to Trump has made him a key target of Democrats in the House of Representatives, could be forced to co-operate in the commission’s investigation. Meadows delivered thousands of text messages, but he declined to appear in an interview, saying he was immune from the need to testify under his position in the White House and is suing the commission.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling in favor of the commission that Meadows has no valid reason to refuse to testify. It says the committee has clarified the scope of its request to focus on seven specific topics, including evidence of communication with Congress before January 6, 2021; The White House plans to replace the leadership of the Department of Justice so that the ministry can prosecute Trump’s false allegations of election fraud; and efforts to create alternative or fake lists of state voters that could change the outcome of the 2020 election vote won by Democrat Joe Biden.
The commission released excerpts from the testimony of a number of witnesses it questioned, including Hutchinson. In addition to describing warnings of potential violence to Meadows, Hutchinson revealed how the White House lawyer’s office warns against plans to attract fake voters in the United States, including meetings with Meadows and Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
The recording also includes new text messages Meadows delivered, including several Republicans in the House of Representatives who urged the former North Carolina congressman to act. Meadows’s close friend, Jim Jordan of Ohio, later suggested on January 5, 2021, the day before Congress confirmed Biden’s victory, that Vice President Mike Pence “should call for all the electoral votes he deems unconstitutional. as there are no electoral votes at all. ”
Meadows sent a message in the early hours of January 6: “I insisted. I’m not sure that’s going to happen. “Pence eventually resisted enormous pressure from Trump and his allies and did not try to object to Biden’s certification.
Representative Scott Perry, R-Pa., Sent an SMS to Meadows on December 26, 2020: “Mark, I’m just registering while the time goes by. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to the opening. We have to go!”
In texts published by the commission, Perry encouraged Meadows to speak with Jeffrey Clark, an assistant attorney general who is sympathetic to Trump’s false allegations of electoral fraud. One week later, on January 3, Clark attended a White House meeting with Trump to discuss the prospect of Clark’s appointment as acting attorney general – but was strongly opposed by Justice Department officials who threatened to the White House Attorneys also resigned. Eventually, Trump backed off.
Hutchinson said Meadows spoke “often” with Clark, and Hutchinson recalled Clark’s presence in the White House and “his frequent contacts and communications.”
In another interview published by the commission on Friday, former Justice Department official Stephen Engel, then head of the Office of Legal Advisers, said Clark had asked the department to provide Pence with a legal opinion on the vice president’s powers to object to presidential certification. elections. Engel said he had told Clark it was “absurd” and reminded him that Pence’s role was ceremonial as Senate president.
Evidence released Friday also confirmed how some Republicans in Congress were deeply involved in discussions in the White House to cancel the election in the months leading up to the deadly riot.
Hutchinson, for example, described several conversations involving Meadows and members of the far-right Freedom Parliament in late November and early December, in which participants discussed what Pence’s role could be on Jan. 6, in addition to the ceremonial role he was to play. plays.
These calls, according to Hutchinson, were representatives of Trump’s legal team, including Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, as well as Jordan and Perry.
Meadows’ case asked a judge to annul two subpoenas he had received from the commission, claiming they were “too broad and unduly burdensome”. The case accused the commission of exceeding, calling on Verizon for the recordings on his mobile phone.
Following the complaint, the House of Representatives committee sent a charge of contempt of Congress against Meadows to the full House, where it voted almost party-wise. This was the first time the chamber had voted out of respect for a former member since 1830.
While an earlier allegation of contempt of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon led to charges, the Justice Department was slow to decide whether to prosecute Meadows.
Any criminal case against Meadows would have been more complicated than the one against Bannon, in part because Meadows was White House chief of staff and because he had begun cooperating with the commission, even providing documents to the nine-member commission.
Meadows ‘lawyer, George Teruiliger, had previously defended his client, noting that because of Meadows’ willingness to submit recordings, he should not be forced to appear for an interview. Terwilliger did not immediately send an email asking for comment on the latest revelations.
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