A pair of top aides to then-President Donald Trump are “engaging” with subpoenas, the top lawmakers on the House select committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 said Friday.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee, and Rep. Liz Cheney, its vice chairwoman, issued a joint statement confirming Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, and Kash Patel, a former Pentagon aide, have engaged the panel. The lawmakers also threatened to hold Trump adviser Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress if he does not comply with his subpoena.
“While Mr. Meadows and Mr. Patel are, so far, engaging with the Select Committee, Mr. Bannon has indicated that he will try to hide behind vague references to privileges of the former President,” Thompson and Cheney said. “The Select Committee fully expects all of these witnesses to comply with our demands for both documents and deposition testimony.”
Thompson and Cheney said the committee “welcomes good-faith engagement with witnesses seeking to cooperate with our investigation,” but “will not allow any witness to defy a lawful subpoena or attempt to run out the clock, and we will swiftly consider advancing a criminal contempt of Congress referral.”
“We thank those many patriotic Americans who are coming forward voluntarily to participate in our inquiry,” the statement said. “The Committee is making rapid progress and will not be deterred by those who seek to obstruct our efforts.”
Cheney also took to Twitter to say the committee will enforce its subpoenas in response to a claim to the contrary.
This is not true. 1/6 Committee is making significant progress and we will enforce subpoenas. Committee statement coming soon. https://t.co/syn0Rux9wb
— Rep. Liz Cheney (@RepLizCheney) October 8, 2021
Bannon reportedly informed the committee that he will not comply with their subpoena, citing Trump’s “executive privilege” through an attorney. Bannon’s claim that he is shielded by executive privilege will likely prompt a legal battle as he was not a White House employee at the time of the events under investigation.
Trump directed his former aides not to comply with the committee’s subpoenas. In a Thursday statement, Trump said the “Unselect Committee of partisan Democrats, and two very weak and pathetic RINOs, should come to the conclusion after spending many millions of dollars, that the real insurrection happened on November 3rd, the Presidential Election, not on January 6th — which was a day of protesting the Fake Election results.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The committee also issued a subpoena to former Trump aide Dan Scavino, but investigators have reportedly yet to make contact with him.
