Meadows suing Pelosi, Jan. 6 committee
In a civil complaint filed Wednesday afternoon, Meadows's lawyers said the select committee does not have the authority to issue the subpoenas directed at him or obtain his phone records from a third party and that
President Biden's refusal to assert executive privilege opens constitutional questions that should be decided through legal action.
"As a result, Mr. Meadows, a witness, 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
complaint reads. "Thus, Mr. Meadows turns to the courts to say what the law is."
The lawsuit says Meadows believed the committee would "act in good faith" until he learned over the weekend the lawmakers had subpoenaed Verizon for his personal phone records. The telecommunications company told Meadows in a letter dated Saturday that it would comply with the committee's subpoena by Dec. 15 unless a court ordered otherwise.
"If indeed Mr. Meadows refuses to appear, the Select Committee will be left no choice but to advance contempt proceedings and recommend that the body in which Mr. Meadows once served refer him for criminal prosecution," Thompson said in a joint statement Tuesday with the committee's vice chairwoman, Rep.
Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Thompson said that Meadows needs to tell the committee "about voluminous official records stored in his personal phone and email accounts, which were required to be turned over to the National Archives in accordance with the Presidential Records Act."
"The Select Committee’s subpoena to Mr. Meadows unlawfully seeks information covered by executive privilege and improperly attempts to compel testimony by a senior Executive Branch official," the lawsuit reads. "During his time as Chief of Staff, Mr. Meadows was among the most senior Executive Branch officials and his communications and deliberations were covered by executive privilege."
Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as he f…
thehill.com