Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the Jan. 6 select committee, said on the House floor this afternoon that the vote to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows “relates principally to his refusal to testify about messages and other communications that he admits are not privileged.”
Cheney said that Meadows’ testimony on specific topics that the committee wishes to question him on “is required and compelled by our subpoena.”
For example, Cheney pointed to text messages that Meadows received on Jan. 6 from members of the House and Trump administration officials imploring him to get former President Trump to “take the specific action we all know his duty required” to stop the siege on the Capitol.
“The mob that attacked this chamber was summoned to Washington by President Trump. And as many of those involved have admitted on videotape and social media and in federal district court, they were provoked to violence by President Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen. As the violence unfolded that afternoon, nearly one year ago, it was evident to all, not only to those of us who were in the chamber at that time…He refused to act.”
Cheney continued: “Mr. Meadows received numerous text messages which he has produced without any privilege claim, imploring that Mr. Trump take the specific action we all know his duty required. Indeed, some of those text messages…came from members in the chamber right now. Members who understood that a violent assault was underway at the capitol. Members who pleaded with the chief of staff to get the president to take action. Dozens of texts, including from Trump administration officials and members of Congress urged that the President take immediate action.”
She then read some of the texts:
“Mark, one member said, he needs to stop this NOW.”
“Tell them to go home.”
“POTUS has to come out firmly and tell the protesters to dissipate.”
“Someone is going to get killed.”
Cheney added that all of these texts are “nonprivileged” and messages “that Mr. Meadows has turned over” to the committee.
“And they are evidence of President Trump’s supreme dereliction of duty for 187 minutes,” Cheney said.