MISSED THE MARK

Judge Tosses Mark Meadows’ Latest Bid to Duck Jan. 6 Subpoena

The former White House chief of staff’s lawsuit was found illegitimate by a Trump appointee.

A federal judge on Monday night denied an effort by Mark Meadows, a one-time chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, to block a pair of subpoenas from the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, ruling his challenge constitutionally illegitimate. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols dismissed Meadows’ lawsuit in a 27-page ruling, saying that the House committee’s actions were shielded by the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which protects members of Congress from civil suits to do with their legislative work. “The record makes clear that the challenged subpoenas are protected legislative acts,” Nichols wrote. An attorney for Meadows said in a statement, “We will review the decision and decide on any further steps.” One subpoena that Meadows had sought to quash had sought documents and testimony from him; the other, seeking his phone data, had been sent to Verizon. The panel has been chasing Meadows since last September, with the former Trump aide attempting a number of arguments to squirm out of testifying. In December 2021, he was held in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the committee.