by Michael C. Bender and Siobhan Hughes
December 16, 2021
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-mark-m ... 1639672775
Introduction:
caltrek's comment (an imagined dialogue):(Wall Street Journal) WASHINGTON— Mark Meadows emerged as a central figure in a congressional probe into the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol after he turned over texts and emails that contained details on then-President Trump’s effort to overturn the election result—and that showed Mr. Meadows was on the receiving end of a barrage of messages and calls from allies trying to halt the pro-Trump riot.
The House this week voted to hold Mr. Meadows in contempt of Congress after he declined to comply with a subpoena to testify in front of the panel investigating the riot. Now, the Justice Department must decide whether it will bring charges against him.
Mr. Meadows had earlier cooperated with the committee, submitting thousands of documents, including texts and material from a private email account. The records he turned over have opened up a window into a network of Republican objectors and their strategies for trying to overturn the election result, and this week’s public disclosure of some of his texts on the day of the attack drew new attention to the Jan. 6 probe.
“These text messages leave no doubt that the White House knew exactly what was happening here at the Capitol,” said Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.), the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee.
The heightened interest from congressional investigators comes as Mr. Meadows’s once-close relationship with Mr. Trump faces strains. Mr. Meadows, 62 years old, who was Mr. Trump’s fourth and final White House chief of staff, was initially a key adviser in the former president’s post-Washington political strategy. He was largely responsible, for example, for orchestrating Mr. Trump’s surprise endorsement in April for North Carolina Senate candidate Ted Budd, a U.S. House lawmaker, according to people familiar with that decision
Mark Meadows: Pssst...publisher. Would you be interested in publishing my kiss and tell book about my time in the Trump White House?
Publisher: Sure, for our cut of the profit.
Mark Meadows: Agreed
Congressional Committee: In the interests of self-defense and for the preservation of our democratic institutions, please once again appear before us and supply relevant records.
Mark Meadows: I'm sorry, that would be a violation of Executive Privilege.