Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other members of the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
According to the lawsuit, Meadows is bringing “this complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief to invalidate and prohibit the enforcement of two overly broad and unduly burdensome subpoenas from a select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives (the ‘Select Committee’) issued in whole or part without legal authority in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States.”
The complaint argues “the Select Committee adamantly refused to recognize the immunity of present and former senior White House aides from being compelled to appear before Congress and likewise refused to recognize a former president’s claims of Executive Privilege and instructions to Mr. Meadows to maintain such privilege claims in addressing the Select Committee’s inquiries.”
It goes on to claim that the former White House chief of staff “has been put in the untenable position of choosing between conflicting privilege claims that are of constitutional origin and dimension and having to either risk enforcement of the subpoena issued to him, not merely by the House of Representatives, but through actions by the Executive and Judicial Branches, or, alternatively, unilaterally abandoning the former president’s claims of privileges and immunities.”
The lawsuit continues, “Thus, Mr. Meadows turns to the courts to say what the law is.”
The committee issued a statement responding to the lawsuit.
“Meadows’s flawed lawsuit won’t succeed at slowing down the Select Committee’s investigation or stopping us from getting info we’re seeking,” the committee stated.
It added, “The Committee will meet next week to advance a report recommending that the House cite Meadows for contempt and refer him for prosecution.”
Meadows’s flawed lawsuit won’t succeed at slowing down the Select Committee’s investigation or stopping us from getting info we’re seeking.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) December 9, 2021
The Committee will meet next week to advance a report recommending that the House cite Meadows for contempt and refer him for prosecution.
Meadows announced he would no longer cooperate with the committee on Tuesday, as IJR reported.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the panel, penned a letter informing Meadows the committee is moving forward with criminal contempt against him.
“The Select Committee is left with no choice but to advance contempt proceedings and recommend that the body in which Mr. Meadows once served refer him for criminal prosecution,” Thompson wrote.