Did Mark Meadows ask National Guard to protect Jan 6 rioters? Trump coup attempt revealed
The full extent of the January 6 insurrection is now becoming clearer, almost a year since it happened. On December 13, the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection recommended holding Mark Meadows in criminal contempt, for playing a key role in what is now being called a 'Trump coup attempt', thanks to emails, documents, and messages he turned over to the committee.
Meadows, who earlier promised to cooperate with the investigation after being subpoenaed, had since had a change of heart. He's refused to depose before the committee, leading them to start criminal proceedings for contempt of Congress. So far, none of the high-ranking Trump officials or friends like Steve Bannon have testified before the committee, meaning we still don't know what exactly led to the violent attack on the Capitol.
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That said, Congress has been able to roughly piece together the extent of the plans, thanks to documents obtained by Meadows and others. The documents reveal Trump and his team had allegedly planned a full coup, which involved the National Guard and even sending new electors to Congress.
Trump coup attempt's planning
WIth Meadows documents, it's clear that the former Cheif of Staff played a vital role in the coup attempt, from the planning to the execution. According to one alleged email on January 5, Meadows said, "the National Guard would be present to 'protect pro-Trump people' and that many more would be available on standby." Before January 6, Meadows also reportedly received texts and emails discussing the appointment of alternate slates of electors to steal the election. He was also privy to the 'Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for 6 JAN' PowerPoint.
During the insurrection, it has also been revealed Meadows exchanged "text messages with and provided guidance to, an organizer of the January 6th rally on the Ellipse." The committee further revealed he was speaking to a "media personality" about a statement from Trump when the insurrection broke out. Liz Cheney further revealed a large number of texts sent to Meadows during the insurrection. Those who texted Meadows included Laura Ingraham and even Trump Jr. In her own words, the documents "leave no doubt that the White House knew what was happening."
Even without his deposition, the 6,000 pages worth of documents reveal Meadows and Trump personally plotted the coup. They reportedly knew what was going to happen and let it happen as his emails and texts show. Which is why the committee has now decided to hold Meadows in criminal contempt.
Contempt proceedings underway
The select committee has recommended holding Meadows in contempt on December 13, with a full House vote likely for December 14. In response, Meadows' attorney George Terwilliger wrote a letter to the committee calling the move "unjust." He wrote, "It would ill-serve the country to rush to judgment on the matter... no singular event can justify overrunning centuries-old safeguards of the republic."
But Democrats aren't buying Meadows executive privilege claims. "It's hard to reconcile how he can talk about Jan. 6 and his conversations about it and others for a book but not to Congress," slammed Rep. Adam Schiff, noting that Meadows was speaking about Jan 6 in his new book 'The Chief's Chief'. Should Meadows be held in contempt, he would be the first former lawmaker to be held in criminal contempt, and the second after Steve Bannon over Jan 6.