Donald Trump’s former chief of staff is no longer cooperating in an investigation into the January storming of the Capitol.
Mark Meadows was due to appear before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, but according to American media, has let it be known through his lawyer that he no longer intends to do so. However, he would at most be willing to answer questions in writing.
The commission reacted furiously to the decision by Meadows, who is seen as an important witness. They threaten to push for criminal charges if the former chief of staff does not show up. The committee chairman and vice-chairman complained that Meadows does provide all kinds of relevant information in a new book “which he is now promoting and selling”.
As chief of staff, Meadows held one of the most important positions in the White House during the January 6 riots. Then Trump supporters stormed the House of Representatives because they wanted to prevent parliamentarians from approving the presidential election results. They were lost by Trump, who continued to insist without evidence that there was a fraud.
Trump does not want to cooperate with the investigation. He invokes ‘executive privilege’, which allows the president to keep certain information confidential. This led to a dispute over the question of how legally valid that is.