- The Washington Times - Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday sued House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Mr. Meadows is seeking relief from two subpoenas issued by the committee, which he describes as “overly broad and unduly burdensome,” court records show. He also contends that the subpoenas were issued “without legal authority in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

The ally of former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would no longer cooperate with the committee’s probe — just over a week after signaling that he would comply with the panel’s demands for documents and testimony — after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on terms.

The committee said it would move forward with contempt of Congress proceedings against Mr. Meadows after he failed to appear for a scheduled deposition Wednesday.

In his suit filed to the U.S. District Court, Mr. Meadows argues that he has been put in an “untenable” position by the committee, which has compelled him to answer questions that Mr. Trump has said are off-limits because of executive privilege.

Mr. Meadows also raised concern about subpoenas issued by the committee compelling him and a “third-party telecommunications company” to provide information that it “lacks lawful authority to seek and to obtain.”

Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi Democrat, and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican, balked at Mr. Meadows’ lawsuit in a statement late Wednesday and said the committee would meet next week to hold Mr. Meadows in contempt. 

“Mr. Meadows’ flawed lawsuit won’t succeed at slowing down the Select Committee’s investigation or stopping us from getting the information we’re seeking,” the lawmakers said. 

• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.

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