Capitol attack: Trump’s ex-chief of staff resists summons to Congress

Capitol attack
Trump’s ex-chief of staff defends himself against a congressional summons

Mark Meadows was the White House Chief of Staff during Trump’s time. Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP / dpa

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Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, definitely wants to prevent having to provide information about the Capitol attack. He is now even taking legal action against his summons.

The former chief of staff of ex-US President Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, is taking legal action against the summons to the Congressional Committee of Inquiry into the attack on the Capitol in January.

Meadows filed a lawsuit against the committee members and against the Chairwoman of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, in federal court in Washington. In it, Meadows described the panel’s demands for information and documents as too extensive and called on the court to override them.

Meadows invoked, among other things, the prerogative of US presidents to withhold certain information from Congress or the courts – the so-called executive privilege. Several former employees of Trump claim this to refuse to provide information about his tenure. Meadows argued that the committee’s requirements put him in an “unsustainable position” of having to choose between the ex-president’s executive privilege and the body’s powers. The court should clarify the legal situation.

The body threatens to take legal action

Meadows should have appeared before the committee yesterday for questioning, but disregarded the subpoena. The panel had already made it clear in advance that if Meadows did not appear, the committee would have no choice but to initiate criminal proceedings against him. The decision on a possible indictment of Meadows’ would then lie with the Justice Department.

This fate has already overtaken the former chief strategist of Trump, Steve Bannon. The latter had also refused to cooperate with the House of Representatives in the investigation and is now facing a court of law for disregarding Congress.

The committee in the US House of Representatives is to investigate the background to the attack on the Capitol. Supporters of Trump stormed the seat of the US Congress in Washington on January 6th. Five people were killed, including a police officer. Trump had to face impeachment proceedings for the attack because he had previously incited his supporters in a speech at a rally. At the end of the trial, the Republican was acquitted.

dpa

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