Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who served under President Trump, has complied with a Justice Department subpoena probing the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report.
That makes him the highest-ranking Trump official to have responded to a Justice Department subpoena.
The Meadows subpoena along with the Justice Department seizing the cellphones of at least nine Trump associates is a sign that its investigation into last year’s riot at the Capitol and overall efforts to overturn the 2020 election is heating up.
This week, the Justice Department has blanketed Trump backers with about 40 subpoenas. The investigation is separate from the Justice Department’s probe into whether Mr. Trump mishandled classified government documents.
Mr. Meadows turned over thousands of text messages and emails to the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot before he stopped cooperating. He provided the same materials to the Justice Department, meeting the obligations of the subpoena, CNN reported Wednesday.
Mr. Meadows had previously withheld hundreds of messages from the Jan. 6 committee, citing executive privilege, though it’s unclear if those messages were withheld from the FBI.
Efforts by The Washington Times to reach Mr. Meadows for comment were unsuccessful.
In addition to Mr. Meadows, one of his top White House deputies, Ben Williamson, was also subpoenaed by the Justice Department. That subpoena sought testimony and records related to Jan. 6 and Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The Justice Department has also seized the cellphones of two close Trump associates this week. Trump campaign legal adviser Boris Epshteyn and Republican campaign operative Mike Roman, both surrendered their phones to the investigators, The New York Times reported.
Since the Justice Department began its probe, investigators have seized phones and electronic devices from at least nine individuals in Mr. Trump’s orbit.
Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and outspoken associate of Mr. Trump, said Tuesday that the FBI seized his cellphone and questioned him about his ties to a Colorado county clerk under investigation for tampering with a voting machine.
On his internet show, “The Lindell Report,” the pillow salesman said agents questioned him about Tina Peters, the Mesa County, Colorado, clerk, who is facing state charges and is accused of allowing an unauthorized person to access voting machines.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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