WASHINGTON D.C. — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol voted 9-0 on Monday for a resolution to hold President Trump's former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress.
Their referral will go to the full House for a vote. If passed, the Justice Department would determine whether to bring criminal charges against the former White House chief of staff.
Meadows turned over thousands of documents to the committee, but has refused to sit for a deposition.
During Monday's hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney read tweets between Meadows and Trump allies that she said were exchanged during the attack on the Capitol. Those allies included employees of Fox News and Donald Trump Jr.
The texts urged Meadows to get the president to immediately condemn the attacks on Jan. 6.
"We need an Oval Office address. He has to lead now," Don Trump Jr. said, according to Cheney. "It has gone too far and gotten out of hand."
Another text from Fox News host Laura Ingram expressed concern about the attack, according to Cheney.
"Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home," she reportedly said in a text. "This is hurting all of us. He is destroying his legacy."
Fox host Brian Kilmeade pleaded, "Please get him on TV. Destroying everything you have accomplished," Cheney said.
Meadows has contended that he cannot comply with the deposition because the former president has instructed that information he discusses could be privileged.
However, the committee noted that Meadows has written a book and already turned over documents, so he should be able to discuss non-privileged information.
