AFP/Archiv
Former US president fights congressional committee probe
Former US President Donald Trump is seeking to block several of his former advisers from testifying before a congressional investigative committee into the January 6 storming of the US Capitol, according to media reports. The online portal Politico and the Washington Post newspaper reported on Thursday that Trump had demanded that Mark Meadows, Kash Patel, Dan Scavino and Steve Bannon not contribute to the US House of Representatives investigation.
Trump’s lawyers reportedly argued in a letter to the four former advisers that Trump’s communications with them and the records in question were protected by executive privilege and attorney-client privilege and therefore could not be made public.
Just hours before the media reports appeared, the U.S. Senate had filed a report on Trump’s attempts at the end of his presidency to undermine the Justice Department’s powers and counter his election defeat of now-President Joe Biden.
Trump does not acknowledge his electoral defeat in November. He had also repeated his completely unsubstantiated accusation of massive voter fraud to supporters in Washington on Jan. 6, as Congress sought to certify Biden’s election victory. In doing so, Trump called on his audience to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”
Hundreds of radical Trump supporters subsequently stormed the statehouse. Five people died in the violence, including a police officer and a female Trump supporter who was shot by police.
Meadows was Trump’s White House chief of staff at the time. Scavino was involved with Trump’s activities on online networks and Patel served as Trump’s national security adviser. In addition, the committee subpoenaed former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who had long since broken with the president in January but continued to play a role in Republican political campaigns.
The committee also subpoenaed former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who had long since broken with the president in January but continued to play a role in Republican political campaigns.
The parliamentary investigative committee on the Capitol storming had ordered Meadows, Scavino, Patel and Bannon in late September to turn over documents on the matter by this Thursday. They are scheduled to appear for congressional questioning next week.
Whether Trump can claim executive privilege for his final weeks in office to prevent his ex-advisors from testifying is a matter of legal dispute. A legal battle over that could delay the congressional investigation into the Capitol storming.
Democrat Adam Schiff, who serves on the investigative committee, warned on the online service Twitter that witnesses could face criminal prosecution if they refuse to testify. “Americans deserve answers,” Schiff stressed. “We’re going to make sure they get them.”
by Eric BARADAT