The United States Justice Department informed the House select committee probing the January 6 Capitol riot that it will not charge two former Donald Trump government officials. However, the committee found both of them in contempt. A source familiar with the notification said that the United States Attorney Matt Graves notified the House general counsel Doug Letter that the DOJ finalized its review and declined to initiate prosecutions for criminal contempt.
The Justice Department informed the House select committee probing the January 6th Capitol riot that it will not charge two ex-Trump aides but will charge Meadows. Both former officials served in high-level positions in the West Wing of the former Republican president.#Meadows pic.twitter.com/ddsKPqgk8m
— Live News Now (@LiveNewsNow6) June 4, 2022
Furthermore, the New York Times (NY) reported that the Justice Department would not prosecute former deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, to Trump and former chief of staff to the former president, Mark Meadows. The DOJ decision is a move to the House panel’s efforts to administer subpoenas regarding its probe and could encourage other former president’s associates facing similar requests not to cooperate.
Navarro Openly Defied the Committee’s Request
On the same day, the announcement was made that Peter Navarro, the former White House trade adviser, was charged for failing to cooperate with the House-select committee. Contrary to Scavino and Meadows, Navarro openly resisted the committee’s request and refused to negotiate any agreement. Scavino and Meadows’ subpoenas were complex. Both officials held high-level positions in the West Wing of the Trump Administration. Therefore, they had stronger cases for claiming executive privilege.
Source: Web
At different stages of its investigation, each also cooperated with the committee. A key portion of the committee’s work has been completed thanks to Meadows’ delivery of thousands of documents, including text messages. In a statement to CNN, Scavino’s attorney Stan Brand praised the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue the case. Neither the Department of Justice nor its spokesperson responded to the request for comment. In response to CNN’s request for comment, a January 6 select committee spokesperson did not respond.
Read Also: January 6 Committee Filed Contempt Report for Navarro & Scavino
