WATCH: Mark Meadows Responds To January 6 Committee Making Criminal Referral Against Him

Daily Wire NewsDecember 14, 2021

Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, responded to the Democratic-led House select committee investigating the January 6 riot that referred him to the Department of Justice for prosecution for alleged criminal contempt on Monday by suggesting that the referral was not legitimate.

Meadows appeared on Fox News with host Sean Hannity to push back on the criminal referral, saying that it was “disappointing, but not surprising.”

Meadows said that the referral was not about him or making the Capital safer and that it was about “Donald Trump and about actually going after him once again, continuing to go after Donald Trump.”

“And when we look at the real results of this investigation, it is not really — the foundation is not based on a legislative purpose,” he continued. “Listen, they want to talk about the part that fits their narrative and what we do know in one of the things that is coming out more and more clearly each and every day is is that everyone condemned what happened in terms of the breach of security on the Capitol on January 6th.”

“I can say this: that when you look at the criminal component of this, the intent, there’s never been an intent on my part,” Meadows said. “I’ve tried to share non-privileged information. “But truly, the executive privilege that Donald Trump has claimed is his to waive. It’s not mine to waive. It’s not Congress’s to waive. And that’s why we filed the lawsuit to hopefully get the courts to weigh in. Hopefully, they’ll weigh in.”

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: All right. Also tonight, more antics from the Democrat sham January 6 Committee. We’ve been telling you, this is a waste of your time and money. They have a predetermined outcome and, by the way, it lacks any serious investigation.

And breaking tonight, the committee voted to send a criminal contempt of Congress resolution to the House for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for failing to comply with a sham subpoena, documents he says are protected by executive privilege. That would need to be played out in the courts.

We are now learning about an email from the former chief of staff that said the National Guard was on standby to protect, quote, pro-Trump people, and don’t forget, President Trump requested increased National Guard support in the days leading up to the — to January 6.

The request was rejected, by Pelosi, by congressional leaders, including request, by the way, from the Capitol police chief.

Here with reaction, author of — it’s in bookstores everywhere, Amazon.com, Hannity.com. I read the book cover to cover, it’s worth — you’ve got to get a copy. It’s an insider’s view that actually is fair to Donald Trump, what a rarity. “The Chief’s Chief”, Mark Meadows.

First, I guess I’ll get your reaction to the January 6 vote 9-0 that will now go before the House. But we already know this is a predetermined outcome. Didn’t we learn that when they kicked Jim Jordan and Jim Banks off the committee?

MARK MEADOWS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Well, we did. Obviously, it’s disappointing, but not surprising. And let’s be clear about this, Sean, this is not about me — holding me in contempt. It’s not even about making the Capital safer. We see that by some of the selective leaks that are going on right now.

This is about Donald Trump and about actually going after him once again continuing to go after Donald Trump. And when we look at the real results of this investigation, it is not really — the foundation is not based on a legislative purpose.

HANNITY: You know, I’m looking at the interpretation of this biased committee, Liz Cheney and company. I love how Liz has now partnered with the people that called her father a war criminal, a murderer and a crook — pretty amazing.

And I’m looking at this committee and they’re acting as though somehow, it’s nefarious. You have massive crowds coming to Washington. We just came out of the summer of 2020. Now, they’re not investigating the 500 riots that killed dozens of Americans, hurt thousands of cops, caused billions in property damage, Liz Cheney and company have no interest in those riots. I condemn them all equally on this program.

But what I want to know is, you know, as if it’s a bad thing after coming out of the summer of 2020 saying, okay, there might be troublemakers here. We need to protect the Capitol.

You asked for it before the rally on January 6. The president asked for it. The Capitol police chief asked for it. And we now have reports of whistle-blowers telling us as National Guard members, they were told to stand down when they wanted to go in and stop the trouble.

I don’t hear them talking