Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows insists that the decision by House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol to hold him in contempt is “not about me.”
“Let’s be clear about this, this not about me, holding me in contempt. It’s not even about making the Capitol safer. We see that by some of the selective leaks that are going on right now,” Meadows told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday.
He continued, “This is about Donald Trump and about actually going after him once again. Continuing to go after Donald Trump. And when we look at the real results of this investigation, the foundation is not based on a legislative purpose.”
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Last week, Meadows’ lawyer told the committee his client would no longer cooperate with the panel.
In his letter, Meadows’ attorney pointed to “wide ranging subpoenas for information from a third party communications provider,” which he argued would “include intensely personal communications of no moment to any legitimate matters of interest” as a reason for ending cooperation with the panel.
Additionally, he noted Thompson’s claim that if another Jan. 6 witness asserted his 5th Amendment rights before the committee, it would be “tantamount to an admission of guilt.”
Meadows had already turned over documents and text messages to the committee.
On Monday, the committee voted to hold Meadows in criminal contempt.
Ahead of the vote, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said, “History will not look upon you as a victim. History will not dwell on your long list of privilege claims or your legal sleight of hand.”
“History will record that in a critical moment in our democracy, most people were on the side of finding the truth, of providing accountability, of strengthening our system for future generations. And history will also record, in this critical moment, that some people were not,” he added.
