Thursday, December 9th, 2021
Detecting the Capitol Storm
Trump’s ex-chief of staff is suing the committee
The committee of inquiry into the storming of the US Capitol is threatening Trump’s ex-chief of staff Meadows with legal action if he does not appear there in person. At first it looks like he’s cooperating, but then he files a lawsuit himself. There is a threat of a legal tug-of-war.
Former US President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has filed a lawsuit against the Committee of Inquiry into the storming of the Capitol. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, questions the legality of the “unreasonably incriminating” subpoena before the committee. The parliamentarians had previously threatened Meadows with criminal action if he did not appear in person before the panel.
The lawsuit is against the Democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the nine members of the committee, including Chairs Bennie Thompson (Democrats) and Liz Cheney (Republicans). After it had previously looked as if Meadows would cooperate in the parliamentary investigation, a legal tug-of-war is now threatening.
Meadows is believed to be a key witness to Trump’s role in efforts to prevent Joe Biden from being elected. He had initially resisted a summons to testify before the committee, but then agreed to appear in person – before changing his decision again.
Up to a year imprisonment threatens
In response to his recent U-turn, the committee wrote to Meadows late Tuesday that it had “no choice” but to bring him to justice for disregard of the House of Representatives. With his lawsuit, Meadows came before the committee.
Radical Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6th, when the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election on November 3rd was to be certified there. The attack, which made headlines around the world, killed five people. The investigative committee set up by the House of Representatives is supposed to clarify the exact background of the attack.
The panel has summoned a number of former Trump employees – including Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon. He had refused to testify before the committee. The House of Representatives then initiated legal action against him – this is now also threatening Meadows. If convicted, Meadows could face up to 12 months in prison, but a fine is more likely.