House debates holding Meadows in contempt in Jan. 6 probe

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WASHINGTON – The House began statement Tuesday connected recommending transgression contempt charges against erstwhile White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, aft helium said helium would nary longer cooperate with the Jan. 6 Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a subordinate of the panel, began by speechmaking frantic texts from the time of the onslaught revealing members of Congress, Fox News anchors and adjacent President Donald Trump’s lad urging Meadows to transportation Trump to enactment rapidly to halt the siege by his supporters.

The committee voted 9-0 Monday nighttime to urge charges against the erstwhile congressman and Trump ally.

But arsenic the statement began Tuesday, Republicans came to the level astatine archetypal not to support Meadows, but to speech alternatively astir immigration, borderline partition authorities and the deficiency of Democratic absorption to radical injustice protests past year.

“Until existent enactment returns to the White House, the People's House volition person to measurement successful and lick the Biden borderline crisis,” GOP Rep. Yvette Herrell said connected the House floor.

Lawmakers were opening hours of statement earlier taking a House ballot connected whether to clasp Meadows successful contempt. The ballot would notation the contented to the Justice Department, which would determine whether to prosecute the erstwhile Republican congressman. It would beryllium the archetypal clip the House had voted to clasp a erstwhile subordinate successful contempt since the 1830s, according to the chamber's records.

Those records present see the Jan. 6 substance messages provided by Meadows portion helium was cooperating with the committee.

“We request an Oval Office address," Donald Trump Jr. texted Meadows, the committee said, arsenic his father's supporters were breaking into the Capitol, sending lawmakers moving for their lives and interrupting the certification of Joe Biden's statesmanlike victory. "He has to pb now. It has gone excessively acold and gotten retired of hand.”

Trump Jr. added, "He’s got to condemn this s—- ASAP."

Members of the committee said the texts rise caller questions astir what was happening astatine the White House — and what Trump himself was doing — arsenic the onslaught was underway. The committee had planned to question Meadows astir the communications, including 6,600 pages of records taken from idiosyncratic email accounts and astir 2,000 substance messages. The sheet has not released immoderate of the communications successful full.

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the panel’s vice chairwoman, said astatine the committee's Monday evening gathering that an important contented raised by the texts is whether Trump sought to obstruct the legislature certification by refusing to nonstop a beardown connection to the rioters to stop.

“These texts permission nary doubt,” Cheney said. “The White House knew precisely what was happening astatine the Capitol.”

The investigating sheet has already interviewed much than 300 witnesses, and subpoenaed much than 40 people, arsenic it seeks to make the astir broad grounds yet of the lead-up to the insurrection and of the convulsive siege itself.

The committee's leaders person vowed to punish anyone who doesn't comply, and the Justice Department has already indicted longtime Trump state Steve Bannon connected 2 counts of contempt aft helium defied his subpoena. If convicted, Bannon and Meadows could look up to 1 twelvemonth down bars connected each charge.

“Whatever bequest helium thought helium near successful the House, this is his bequest now,” committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said of Meadows.

However, successful a Tuesday statement, Meadows’ lawyer George Terwilliger said the erstwhile main of unit had ne'er stopped cooperating though maintaining helium could not beryllium compelled to look for an interview. The lawyer said Meadows had “fully cooperated” with respect to documents that are successful his possession and are not privileged.

He said that “the Select Committee’s existent intentions successful dealing with Mr. Meadows person been revealed erstwhile it accuses him of contempt citing the precise documents his practice has produced.” He noted that the contempt statute has been utilized infrequently and argued that a contempt referral of a elder statesmanlike adjutant “would bash large harm to the instauration of the Presidency.”

Meadows himself has sued the panel, asking a tribunal to invalidate 2 subpoenas that helium says are “overly wide and unduly burdensome.”

On Monday, Cheney work from the texts from Trump Jr. and a bid of Fox News hosts arsenic those successful Trump’s interior ellipse attempted to scope the president done his main of staff.

“Hey Mark, the president needs to archer radical successful the Capitol to spell location ... this is hurting each of america ... helium is destroying his legacy,” Fox News big Laura Ingraham texted Meadows, according to the committee.

“Please get him connected tv. Destroying everything you person accomplished,” Fox News's Brian Kilmeade wrote. Another substance from Sean Hannity: “Can helium marque a statement? Ask radical to permission the Capitol."

In effect to 1 substance from Trump Jr., Meadows texted: “I’m pushing it hard. I agree.”

Cheney besides elaborate texts that she said were from members of Congress and others successful the Capitol.

“Hey, Mark, protesters are virtually storming the Capitol,” work 1 text. "Breaking windows connected doors. Rushing in. Is Trump going to accidental something?”

If Meadows had appeared for his deposition, lawmakers had besides planned to inquire him astir Trump’s efforts to overturn the predetermination successful the weeks earlier the insurrection, including his outreach to states and his communications with members of Congress.

Trump’s erstwhile apical White House adjutant “is uniquely situated to supply cardinal information, having straddled an authoritative relation successful the White House and unofficial relation related to Mr. Trump’s reelection campaign,” the sheet said successful a 51-page report.

As portion of its database of questions for Meadows, the sheet says it wanted to cognize much astir whether Trump was engaged successful discussions regarding the response of the National Guard, which was delayed for hours arsenic the unit escalated and the rioters bushed police guarding the Capitol building.

The documents provided by Meadows see an email helium sent to an unidentified idiosyncratic saying that the Guard would beryllium contiguous to “protect pro Trump people," the sheet said, and that much would beryllium disposable connected standby. The committee did not merchandise immoderate further details astir that email.

Committee unit said they would person interviewed Meadows astir emails “to enactment astatine the Department of Justice connected December 29th and 30th, 2020, and January 1st, 2021, encouraging investigations of suspected elector fraud,” adjacent though predetermination officials and courts crossed the state had rejected those claims.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

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