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Meadows’ Jan. 5 Email: National Guard Will ‘Protect Pro Trump People’

The former chief of staff indicated the Guard would defend rioters at the Capitol, according to newly released documents.

In an email sent the day before the Capitol insurrection, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said the National Guard had been put on standby to defend President Donald Trump’s supporters, according to a Sunday night filing made by the House select panel investigating the riot. According to Politico, Meadows advised that the Guard, which arrived three hours after the Capitol Police called for its help, would be ready to “protect pro Trump people.” It is unclear to whom Meadows sent the email. His remark is part of a 51-page document released by the House committee laying out its case for a contempt of Congress charge against him.

The former Trump aide had previously agreed to cooperate with the panel’s investigation, providing more than 9,000 documents and records to the committee. Citing concerns about executive privilege, he suddenly rescinded that cooperation last Tuesday. The House panel threatened him with the contempt charge if he failed to appear for a scheduled deposition that week. Meadows’ continued “willful failure to comply with a subpoena,” as Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) put it, has left the select committee slated to vote on Monday on whether to recommend a contempt charge against Meadows to the full House.