A former White House official told the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection that former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had been informed of reports of intelligence that showed the potential for violence that day, according to transcripts. released Friday night.
Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as special assistant to Trump’s White House, told the committee that “there were concerns” in Meadows before the riot, but it was unclear what Meadows did with that information.
“I just remember Mr. Ornato came in and said we had intellectual reports that there might be violence on the 6th,” Hutchinson said, presumably referring to Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official. “And Mr. Meadows said, ‘Okay. Let’s talk about it.'”
Friday’s presentation also reinforced how some Republican members of Congress were deeply involved in White House discussions over the cancellation of the election during the months leading up to the deadly insurgency.
Hutchinson describes several calls between Meadows and members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus in late November and early December in which participants discussed the role of Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, as well as the ceremonial role that he had to play.
These calls, according to Hutchinson, included representatives of Trump’s legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, and Sidney Powell, as well as representatives Jim Jordan and Scott Perry.
The committee’s filing responds to a lawsuit Meadows filed in December in Washington federal court against the committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The lawsuit asked a judge to invalidate two citations Meadows received from the committee, alleging they were “excessively broad and excessively heavy.” The lawsuit continued to accuse the committee of exaggerating by issuing a subpoena to Verizon for its cell phone records.
Shortly after the complaint was filed, the select committee sent a charge of contempt to Congress against Meadows in the House, where it passed a vote close to the party line. It was the first time the House had voted to belittle a former member since the 1830s.
Although a previous reference to contempt against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon led to an indictment, the Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows.
The criminal case against Meadows is more complex than the one filed against Bannon, in part because Meadows had begun cooperating with the committee, even providing documents to the nine-member panel.
Meadows ‘attorney, George Terwilliger, has previously defended his client, noting that because of Meadows’ willingness to hand over the records, he should not be forced to appear for an interview. Terwilliger did not immediately return an email requesting comments Friday night.
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