WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 24: Donald Trump Jr. pre-records his address to the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium on August 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced the Republican Party to move away from an in-person convention to a televised format, similar to the Democratic Party's convention a week earlier. (Image: Getty)
The House committee investigating Mark Meadows‘s involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection has released documents that Meadows provided to the committee, including text messages between Meadows and Donald Trump Jr.
Last week, Meadows withdrew cooperation from the investigation, for which the committee voted Monday evening to recommend Meadows for a guilty charge of contempt. Before he ceased cooperation, Meadows produced about 9,000 documents for the panel. Among these documents are text messages and emails that illuminate his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection and in efforts to undermine the 2020 election.
On the day of the Jan 6. protest, various people texted Meadows urging him to convince then-President Donald J. Trump to condemn the insurrection. Among those texting was Trump’s son.
“He’s got to condemn this sh— ASAP,” wrote Trump Jr. in a text read aloud by Liz Cheney, a Republican Representative of Wyoming and vice chairwoman of the committee. “The Capitol Police Tweet is not enough.”
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“I’m pushing it hard,” Meadows wrote in reply. “I agree.”
Trump Jr. added, “We need an Oval address. He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand.”
In addition to the texts from Trump Jr., others texted Meadows expressing concern about the Jan 6. rally and pleading that Meadows convince the president to intervene. Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Brian Kilmeade each sent such messages to Meadows that day.
“Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home,” wrote Ingraham in a message. “He is hurting all of us … He is destroying his legacy.”
“Can he make a statement?” asked Hannity to the former chief of staff. “Ask people to leave the Capitol?”
“Please get him on tv,” urged Kilmeade. “Destroying everything you have accomplished.”
Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), said that he was “particularly struck” by these text messages. He asked the panel, “How did Meadows react to these cries for help? Whom did he tell? What did he do? And, critically, what did the president of the U.S. do and what did he fail to do?”
The committee is seeking more information on Meadows’s participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Its unanimous recommendation for a contempt charge passes the decision on to the full House, who could, in turn, vote as early as Tuesday to send the charge to the Department of Justice. The penalty for this charge could be up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
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