WASHINGTON (Fwrd Axis) — The Justice Department said Friday that criminal charges would not be brought against Mark Meadows, who served as White House chief of staff during former President Donald Trump’s last year in office.
The DOJ also declined to bring charges to Dan Scavino, the deputy chief of staff, officials said.
The decision is a blow to the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, who were hoping the men would be charged to prevent others from not complying with the subpoenas. After both Meadows and Scavino refused to appear, the committee found them in contempt of Congress and referred the cases to the U.S. attorney in Washington.
However, even if the men would have been changed, it would not be required for them to cooperate with the committee. The Justice Department did not explain their reasoning to not charge Meadows as they did with Steve Bannon, who was charged in November with contempt for refusing to cooperate with the committee.
Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Liz Cheney (R-WY) released a joint statement late Friday, questioning the Justice Department’s decision not to bring charges for Meadows and Scanvino.
“We find the decision to reward Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino for their continued attack on the rule of law puzzling,” they said in a statement.
“We hope the Department provides greater clarity on this matter,” the lawmakers added. “As the Select Committee has argued in District Court, Mark Meadows’s claim that he is entitled to absolute immunity is not correct or justified based on the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel Memoranda. No one is above the law.”
The news comes after former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro was arrested after being indicted on contempt of Congress charges, allegations he vowed to fight.
Navarro was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress, one for failing to provide papers, and another for failing to provide testimony.
