Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Explosive Mark Meadows texts turn up the heat on Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rick Perry



Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., urged former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to have former President Donald Trump declare martial law after his 2020 election loss in order to keep the former president in office.

Her plea, first reported by CNN, came January 17, weeks after the Capitol riot, when Greene texted Meadows that she and a number of Republicans felt that declaring a police state was "the only way to save our Republic."

"In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall [sic] law," she wrote to him. "I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!"

Meadows reportedly did not respond to the message.

The shocking revelation comes just days after Greene was forced to testify in trial about her actions and rhetoric leading up to the Capitol riot. In one exchange during the proceeding last week, Greene was asked whether she called on Meadows to have Trump declare martial law.

"I don't recall," she responded. "I don't remember."

That response was, more or less, carried through the entire proceeding, with Greene claiming that she doesn't remember saying things for which there is documented proof.

In another exchange during the trial, Greene suggested that the January 6 insurrection was orchestrated by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. But according to Monday's newly unearthed texts, Greene privately pleaded with Meadows to have Trump ask the rioters to stand down, indicating that she knew the riot was led by Trump supporters.

"Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything," Greene wrote at the time.

Greene's texts to Meadows reportedly came just weeks after a "heated" December meeting in the Oval Office, wherein numerous Trump aides clashed with some of the former president's most ardent election deniers, including ex-Trump lawyer Sydney Powell and Michael Flynn, Trump's national security advisor.

During the meeting, CNN reported, Flynn also suggested that Trump invoke martial law in order to overturn the 2020 election. But numerous Trump aides reportedly pushed back on the idea, deeming it too extreme.

Hours before the election was called, former Trump Cabinet member and Texas Republican governor Rick Perry texted Meadows: "We have the data driven program that can clearly show where the fraud was committed. This is the silver bullet." Perry has previously denied such participation, but according to CNN, Meadows' trove included "one text message signed by Rick Perry, sent from Rick Perry's cell phone, with Rick Perry's phone number, saying 'This sort of thing is my bag.'"


CNN Exclusive: Mark Meadows’ 2,319 text messages reveal Trump’s inner circle communications before and after January 6

Washington — CNN has obtained 2,319 text messages that former President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sent and received between Election Day 2020 and President Joe Biden’s January 20, 2021 inauguration.

The vast trove of texts offers the most revealing picture to date of how Trump’s inner circle, supporters and Republican lawmakers worked behind the scenes to try to overturn the election results and then reacted to the violence that effort unleashed at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The logs, which Meadows selectively provided to the House committee investigating the January 6 attack, show how the former chief of staff was at the nexus of sprawling conspiracy theories baselessly claiming the election had been stolen. They also demonstrate how he played a key role in the attempts to stop Biden’s certification on January 6.

The never-before-seen texts include messages from Trump’s family – daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr. – as well as White House and campaign officials, Cabinet members, Republican Party leaders, January 6 rally organizers, Rudy Giuliani, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, Sean Hannity and other Fox hosts. There are also text exchanges with more than 40 current and former Republican members of Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

The texts include everything from plans to fight the election results to surprising and unexpected reactions on January 6 from some of Trump’s staunchest allies. At 2:28 p.m., Greene, the conservative firebrand who had helped to plan the congressional objections that day, texted Meadows with an urgent plea for help as the violence was unfolding at the Capitol.

“Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn’t the way to solve anything,” Greene wrote. Meadows does not appear to reply.

More messages flooded in.

“Mark: he needs to stop this, now. Can I do anything to help?” Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former acting White House chief of staff, texted Meadows.

“It’s really bad up here on the hill. They have breached the Capitol,” Georgia Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk wrote.

The president needs to stop this ASAP,” texted GOP Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina.

“POTUS is engaging,” Meadows sent in response to Loudermilk. “We are doing it,” he texted to Timmons.

“Thanks. This doesn’t help our cause,” Loudermilk replied.

Shortly after, Donald Trump Jr. weighed in: “This his(sic) one you go to the mattresses on. They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse.”

“TELL THEM TO GO HOME !!!” texted Trump’s first chief of staff, Reince Priebus.

Heated rhetoric and conspiracy theories

The text messages CNN obtained begin on Election Day, November 3, 2020. Even before the election was called, Meadows was inundated with conspiracy theories about election fraud, strategies to challenge the results and pleas for Trump to keep fighting. The messages – from GOP activists, donors, Republican members of Congress and state party officials – appear to act as an echo chamber affirming Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen. For months leading up to Election Day, Trump had claimed the only way he could lose was if the election was rigged.

Previously disclosed text messages showed that former Trump administration Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., each texted Meadows on November 4 and 5 with ideas for overturning the election.

On November 7, hours before the election was called, Perry texted Meadows again: “We have the data driven program that can clearly show where the fraud was committed. This is the silver bullet.”

While Perry has previously denied CNN reporting about his text messages to Meadows, CNN has confirmed it’s his cell phone and he signed this text, “Rick Perry,” including his number.

Other texts, however, include hints of doubt expressed by members of Trump’s team and even Meadows himself about the veracity of conspiracy theories being spread by Trump’s “kraken” team – outside attorneys working for Trump that included Giuliani and Sidney Powell.

Some key congressional allies who worked with Trump’s campaign initially in its efforts to overturn the election, such as Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, ultimately soured on the approach as the January 6 congressional certification neared, CNN previously reported.

The texts also show how Trump allies were quick to deflect responsibility for the January 6 attack. Shortly after pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol, one of his top aides began crafting a counter-narrative.

At 3:45 p.m., Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller suggested to Meadows and Trump aide Dan Scavino that Trump should tweet: “Call me crazy, but ideas for two tweets from POTUS: 1) Bad apples, likely ANTIFA or other crazed leftists, infiltrated today s peaceful protest over the fraudulent vote count. Violence is never acceptable! MAGA supporters embrace our police and the rule of law and should leave the Capitol now! 2) The fake news media who encouraged this summer s violent and radical riots are now trying to blame peaceful and innocent MAGA supporters for violent actions. This isn’t who we are! Our people should head home and let the criminals suffer the consequences!”

Trump’s allies in Congress appeared to get the message. At 3:52 p.m., Greene told Meadows: “Mark we don’t think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters.”

Five minutes later, Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, texted Meadows: “Cap Police told me last night they’d been warned that today there’d be a lot of Antifa dressed in red Trump shirts & hats & would likely get violent.”

In the 16 months since January 6, hundreds of indictments have shown nearly all of those who breached the Capitol were in fact pro-Trump supporters.

While Greene was alarmed on January 6, by the next day she was apologizing that the efforts to block Biden’s certification had failed.

“Yesterday was a terrible day. We tried everything we could in our objection to the 6 states. I’m sorry nothing worked. I don’t think that President Trump caused the attack on the Capitol. It’s not his fault,” she wrote the morning of January 7. “Absolutely no excuse and I fully denounce all of it, but after shut downs all year and a stolen election, people are saying that they have no other choice.”

Meadows replied, “Thanks Marjorie.”


Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wears a "Trump Won" face mask as she arrives on the floor of the House to take her oath of office as a newly elected member of the 117th House of Representatives in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2021.

Greene is currently facing a legal challenge to disqualify her from running for Congress because of her alleged role in January 6. In court testimony Friday, the Georgia Republican repeatedly deflected or said she didn’t remember what she had said around the events of January 6. The Meadows text logs offer a new glimpse into what she was telling the White House chief of staff in real time.

On December 31, Greene reached out to Meadows for advice about how to prepare for objections to certifying the election on January 6.

“Good morning Mark, I’m here in DC. We have to get organized for the 6th,” Greene wrote. “I would like to meet with Rudy Giuliani again. We didn’t get to speak with him long. Also anyone who can help. We are getting a lot of members on board. And we need to lay out the best case for each state.”

Meadows does not appear to respond.

By January 17, Greene was suggesting ways to keep Trump in office, telling Meadows there were several Republicans in Congress who still wanted the then-President to declare martial law, which had been raised in a heated Oval Office meeting a month earlier.

Greene texted: “In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall (sic) law. I don’t know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!”

Again, Meadows does not appear to respond.

What Meadows turned over

Meadows provided the cache of 2,319 messages to the January 6 committee in December 2021. But soon after, he stopped cooperating and refused to appear for a deposition. Ultimately, the House voted to hold the former White House chief of staff in contempt of Congress. The Justice Department has not yet announced whether it will charge Meadows.

Meadows has sued the House committee in an attempt to block the congressional subpoenas. And in a late-night court filing on Friday, the committee responded with new details revealing Meadows was warned ahead of time that January 6 could turn violent, according to testimony from Cassidy Hutchison, one of Meadows’ former White House aides.

In addition, the committee released text messages Meadows exchanged with Republican members of Congress, including texts with Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania about a scheme to replace Justice Department leaders who opposed Trump’s claims of election fraud.

In late December, Perry reached out to Meadows, connecting him to then-DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, who was pushing unfounded claims of voter fraud inside the Justice Department. Trump was considering firing the acting attorney general and installing Clark instead. Clark invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times when he spoke to the January 6 committee in February.

On December 26, Perry texted Meadows, “Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!”

“Mark, you should call Jeff,” he continued. “I just got off the phone with him and he explained to me why the principal deputy won’t work especially with the FBI. They will view it as as (sic) not having the authority to enforce what needs to be done.”

“I got it,” Meadows responded. “I think I understand. Let me work on the deputy position.”

On December 28, Perry reached out again: “Did you call Jeff Clark?” Meadows does not appear to respond.

Meadows withheld more than 1,000 messages from the committee on claims of privilege, the panel said in Friday’s court filing. In his lawsuit, Meadows’ attorney argued the former White House chief of staff “has been put in the untenable position of choosing between conflicting privilege claims.”

Hannity to Meadows: ‘Yes sir’

In addition to the texts the committee has released, CNN and other news organizations have previously published selections of text messages Meadows received from Lee, Roy, Trump Jr., Perry and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas.

The logs obtained by CNN include numerous messages from official White House cell phone numbers. Some have been identified by CNN, others are unknown.

There are also numerous group texts with Trump’s inner circle. The various group chats include Meadows, Ivanka Trump, Trump Jr. and Kushner, as well as top advisers such as Hope Hicks, campaign manager Bill Stepien, Miller and Scavino, among others.

Some texts only include links to news reports and social media. Others appear to contain content that was cut-and-pasted and forwarded. The logs do not contain images or attachments.


Supporters of Donald Trump watch a video featuring Fox host Sean Hannity ahead of Trump's arrival to a campaign rally in Michigan on October 30, 2020.

Meadows’ messages also include dozens of exchanges with Fox hosts, as well as journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Politico, Bloomberg, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN.

Among Meadows’ most frequent interactions were those with Fox’s Sean Hannity, a well-known friend of Trump. Throughout the logs, Hannity both gives advice and asks for direction.

On the afternoon of Election Day, Hannity texted Meadows to ask about turnout in North Carolina.

Meadows responded: “Stress every vote matters. Get out and vote.”

“Yes sir,” Hannity replied. “On it. Any place in particular we need a push.”

“Pennsylvania. NC AZ,” Meadows wrote. “Nevada.”

“Got it. Everywhere,” Hannity said.

For the most part, Meadows’ texts are short, and frequently he does not appear to reply at all. Some conversations include non sequiturs. It’s unclear whether Meadows did not respond to the messages or if the logs are incomplete, because texts could also have been deleted or withheld for claims of privilege.

CNN reached out for comment to all individuals who sent text messages quoted in this story. Meadows and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the January 6 committee declined to comment.

The fight to ‘stop the steal’

The text messages provide a timeline showing how Trump’s team searched all corners for evidence of election fraud and tried to overturn the election. Beginning on Election Day, Meadows was in the middle of it all, from connecting activists pushing conspiracy theories to strategizing with GOP lawmakers and rally organizers preparing for January 6.

The texts also show Meadows was dealing with everything from mediating a fight over who would be on the speaker’s list for the January 6 rally to fielding requests to pay Giuliani’s bills.

“Sir, we are airborne on the way to Michigan from Arizona. We’re going to need a hotel for the team and two vehicles to pick us up,” Bernie Kerik, a Giuliani associate, texted Meadows on December 1.

Reached for comment by CNN, Kerik confirmed the text was his and said that he never received a credit card for those travel expenses, paid for it himself and was later reimbursed.

Other texts show Meadows coordinating with GOP activists in the immediate aftermath of the election.

"Pls get 4 or 5 killers in remaining counts. Need outsiders who will torch the place. Local folks won’t do it. Lawyers and operators. Get us in these states,” American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp texted Meadows on November 4.

“I may need to get you and mercy (sic) to go to PA,” Meadows responded, referring to Schlapp’s wife, Mercedes, who is a former Trump White House aide.

On a few occasions, Trump family members weighed in. Ivanka Trump sent a note on November 5 to a group that included Kushner, Hicks, Stepien, Miller and Meadows: “You are all WARRIORS of epic proportions! Keep the faith and the fight.”

Dozens of Republicans also offered support and advice to Meadows – as well as perpetuated conspiracy theories that were gaining traction in right-wing media.

For instance, Rep. Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican now running for Senate, suggested in a text on November 7 that Dominion Voting Systems could be connected to George Soros’ company. Dominion has no corporate ties to Soros, a billionaire and frequent target of baseless conspiracy theories, according to a CNN fact check.

On November 6, Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, appeared to suggest that state legislatures should appoint electors “in the various states where there’s been shenanigans,” a move he acknowledged would be “highly controversial.” In his text, he wrote the legislatures could appoint “a look doors,” which is phonetically similar to electors.

On December 1, then-Attorney General William Barr infuriated Trump when he publicly stated that the Justice Department did not find widespread evidence of voter fraud. Nevertheless, Meadows received multiple texts pushing back, including from Schlapp later that day: “Happy to walk ag through our evidence. Its (sic) overwhelming.”

The texts also show Meadows reached out to GOP officials in multiple states to lobby for Trump’s cause. On two occasions, Meadows attempted to contact Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was under attack from Trump for certifying Georgia’s election for Biden.

“mr Secretary. Can you call the White House switchboard,” Meadows wrote on December 5. “Your voicemail is full.”

Raffensperger does not appear to reply to the messages.

Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia are under investigation by a district attorney in the Atlanta area.

Meadows also received text messages from GOP activists and local officials making outlandish claims, including allegations that “traitors inside our intel agencies” were committing election fraud, as well as baseless charges that voting equipment companies Dominion and Smartmatic had manipulated votes – the same false claims being pushed by Giuliani and Powell.

Both companies have filed billion-dollar lawsuits over the false election claims, including against Fox News, right-wing media organizations, Giuliani, Powell and Lindell.

Throughout the two months, Meadows received dozens of messages from Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who offered what she claimed were examples and sources of voter fraud.

On December 9, she sent a text to Meadows letting him know she’d already reached out to Trump’s executive assistant: “This guy says he’s cracked the whole election fraud and wants to speak to someone. I sent his info to Molly Michael a few days ago, but I’m not sure it went anywhere.”

"I will call him,” Meadows responded.


MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell, speaks to reporters outside federal court in Washington, Thursday, June 24, 2021.

Another frequent texter was Lindell, one of the most vocal proponents of baseless election conspiracy theories. Even after courts had dismissed dozens of Trump’s legal challenges, the My Pillow CEO was still pressing the White House.

“Everything Sidney has said is true! We have to get the machines and everything we already have proves the President won by millions of votes!” Lindell texted Meadows on December 20. “This is the biggest cover up of one of the worst crimes in history! I have spent over a million$ to help uncover this fraud and used my platform so people can get the word not to give up!”

Meadows replied, “Thanks brother. Pray for a miracle.”

Reached for comment by CNN, Lindell confirmed the text was his. He told CNN that he has not spoken to Meadows since before January 20, 2021, and that at the time he was “just trying to get an appointment with the President.”

Doubts about election fraud

While Trump and his allies publicly stuck by their claims that the election had been stolen, behind the scenes, Trump’s inner circle – including Meadows – expressed some doubts. Trump’s aides also questioned whether lawyers like Giuliani and Powell were doing more harm than good.

On November 6, Miller, Trump’s campaign spokesman, texted a group, which included Ivanka Trump, Kushner, Hicks, Stepien, Scavino and Meadows, suggesting that the numbers in Philadelphia didn’t back up claims about alleged election fraud there.

“One other key data point: In 2016, POTUS received 15.5% of the vote in Philadelphia County. Today he is currently at 18.3%. So he increased from his performance in 2016. In 2016, Philadelphia County made up 11.3% of the total vote in the state. As it currently stands, Philadelphia County only makes up 10.2% of the statewide vote tally. So POTUS performed better in a smaller share. Sen. (Rick) Santorum was just making this point on CNN - cuts hard against the urban vote stealing narrative,” Miller wrote.

A week later, Miller wrote to Meadows again, this time saying that campaign research did not find any evidence of a conspiracy involving Soros, the Democratic donor. Miller also said he was concerned about sharing the findings with Trump.

“Lots there re: functionality problems, not much there on Dem/Soros conspiracy connections,” Miller wrote on November 13. “Will defer to you on whether or not to share full report with POTUS. POTUS is clearly hyped up on them, not just from his tweets, but he also called me and Justin separately last night to complain. JM.”

On November 20, Meadows was asked by a Florida contact how confident he was about fraud related to Dominion. Meadows texted back: “Dominion, not that confident. Other fraud. Very confident.”

Two days later, Ginni Thomas messaged Meadows with apparent concerns, asking, “Trying to understand the Sidney Powell distancing…”

Meadows responded: “She doesn’t have anything or at least she won’t share it if she does.”

“Wow!” Ginni Thomas wrote back.

In one of the few messages Meadows received from Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law shared a fact check on December 4 debunking one of the most prominent election fraud claims from Georgia. The article showed that despite inflammatory claims of poll workers stashing suitcases filled with ballots under a table, that did not, in fact, occur.

‘Hoping the VP sticks with us’

After the Electoral College affirmed Biden’s win on December 14, Trump’s allies turned their attention to January 6: the congressional certification of the electors and the rally that Trump said on Twitter “will be wild!”

On December 21, Brooks, the Alabama congressman, wrote to Meadows and others in a group text asking whether he should engage with the media about the “formulation of our January 6 strategies.”

“Does the White House want me to reply or be mum?” Brooks wrote. A staunch Trump ally running for Senate this year, Brooks gave an incendiary speech on January 6 but recently fell out of favor with Trump after suggesting Republicans should move on from 2020.

In response to CNN’s request for comment, Brooks said he had “no regrets” about his speech on January 6 and that he was “shocked” by the violence. “I had no inkling,” Brooks added.

Cruz, a Texas Republican who pushed a plan inside the Senate that would have delayed certification of the election, exchanged just a few messages with Meadows – links to his statements posted to social media.

On January 2, the senator sent Meadows his tweet proposing a 10-day audit of the election results.

“Here’s the statement,” Cruz wrote.

“Perfect,” Meadows responded.

The texts also make frequent reference to then-Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to go along with Trump’s plan to try to block the certification on January 6. On December 30, Rep. Brian Babin of Texas expressed concern that congressional leaders might try to short circuit their objections – and that Pence was not on board.

“Dems and some Republicans may well try to shortstop our objection efforts. Hoping the VP sticks with us,” Babin wrote.

On New Year’s Eve, Miller shared a news article with Meadows that Pence opposed a lawsuit intended to help overturn the election. Miller warned that it could be used “to drive a massive wedge between POTUS and everybody else in the party.”

“He’s absolutely going to blow his stack on this if he isn’t already aware,” Miller said of Trump. “Oh boy I don’t understand what the VP was thinking here.”

On January 5, Jordan, the Ohio congressman and close GOP ally of Meadows, weighed in.

“On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, as President of the Senate, should call out all electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all – in accordance with guidance from founding father Alexander Hamilton and judicial precedence,” Jordan wrote.

Meadows responded the morning of January 6: “I have pushed for this. Not sure it is going to happen.”

The January 6 committee included the text exchange in its Friday court filing as evidence of Meadows’ alleged involvement in the effort to overturn the election.

The logs also show Meadows was involved with planning the rally on January 6, helping to mediate a fight over the speakers list. Trump adviser Katrina Pierson was alarmed at some of the proposed fringe figures who wanted to speak.


Crowds arrive for the "Stop the Steal" rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.

On January 2 and 3, Pierson wrote to Meadows looking for help.

“Good afternoon, would you mind giving me a call re: this Jan 6th event. Things have gotten crazy and I desperately need some direction. Please,” she asked on January 2.

The next day, she reached out again: “Scratch that, Caroline Wren has decided to move forward with the original psycho list. Apparently Dan Scavino approved??”

She continued: “So, I’m done. I can’t be a part of embarrassing POTUS any further.”

Wren was a fundraiser for the Trump campaign and helped organize the January 6 rally. She has been subpoenaed by the January 6 committee.

Less than an hour later, Pierson wrote Meadows that she told Wren she was talking to the White House in order to get her to back down.

“I let her know that I was going to reach out to WH and her tone changed,” Pierson wrote. “So, I’ll continue to build a proper event.”

“Thank you,” Meadows responded.

‘As bad as this can get’

In the aftermath of the violence at the Capitol on January 6, Trump’s inner circle discussed in a group text how to deal with the fallout – and Trump’s suspension from Twitter. At 10:10 p.m. on January 6, Kushner texted the group: “Why don’t we post on his Facebook page since he isn’t locked out there.”

In the final days of Trump’s term, as he faced impeachment for a second time, Meadows received words of encouragement from staunch allies, as well as caution from advisers.

“I would like to pass to POTUS that we are still with him, I believe in him and I want to encourage him,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, a freshman Georgia Republican, wrote on January 9. “I truly hope he does create a new platform to complete (sic) with Twitter and I hope he calls it ‘Trumpet’ and then we can send out ‘notes’ to each other!”

“I will share it with him. Thanks Andrew,” Meadows responded.

On January 13, the day the House voted to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol – with 10 Republicans joining Democrats – Miller shared polling data in a group text with Meadows, Scavino and Kushner that showed “2/3 of the MAGA base wants us to move on.”

"I tried to walk the President through this earlier but he won’t have any of it,” Miller said.

As Trump prepared to leave power, he appeared to be a pariah in the Republican Party. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy had said during the House’s January 13 impeachment debate that the outgoing President “bears responsibility” for the riot. Six days later, on January 19, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell denounced Trump from the floor of the Senate, saying the mob that attacked the Capitol was “provoked by the President and other powerful people.”

Nevertheless, Trump’s standing in the Republican Party quickly recovered, especially after McCarthy’s January 28 visit to Mar-a-Lago and the February 2021 acquittal of Trump in the Senate impeachment trial.

But before Trump left office, the Meadows text logs show some of Trump’s staunchest allies were dejected. On January 19, in one of the final texts Meadows received as chief of staff, Fox’s Sean Hannity shared a video of McConnell’s floor speech.

Hannity texted Meadows: “Well this is as bad as this can get.”

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/25/politics/mark-meadows-texts-2319/index.html

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 is looking 'more premeditated' — and 'it makes what Merrick Garland should do a lot clearer': legal expert



Speaking to MSNBC host Ari Melber on Monday, former acting-Solicitor General Neal Katyal suggested that it's time for Attorney General Merrick Garland to act on the big fish in the Jan. 6 cases.

The comments come after more information was revealed by the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol. While hundreds have been interviewed, one former Mark Meadows aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, spoke with the committee on at least two occasions revealing what she overheard about warnings ahead of the attack.

"The White House all the way up to the White House staff, and undoubtedly [Donald] Trump had advanced knowledge of potential violence on Jan. 6," explained Katyal. "I mean, look, we know the Trump White House wasn't exactly known for its cracker-jack intelligence operations, but, you know, everyone who lives in D.C. knew there was a potential for violence on Jan. 6. And I think what today's revelations do is, it make what Garland should do a lot clearer."

He cited two examples, one being the text messages from Mark Meadows and Brad Raffensberger, which make it clear that the White House knew what it was doing.

"Merrick Garland's been sitting on the contempt referral for more than 100 days, passed by congress over Mark Meadows," said Katyal. "The evidence today just says, you've got to get the show on the road. The second thing to me, that your question gets to that's more important, it says something about what Garland has to do against Trump. This is looking so much more premeditated. The text today shows so many more people, and you flashed [a photo of] Don Jr. — there were so many people saying to the president's chief of staff, stop this. Stop this. And you and I talked in the past about the missing gap of seven hours for the phone logs. That's certainly important. But we're missing the gap of Donald Trump as president, and his activities during the three hours. And this is like some of the three most consequential hours we have ever had in the history of the United States, and I don't think Merrick Garland should quit. I don't think the committee should quit until they get a tick-tock of every minute Donald Trump spent on that day during these three hours."

Katyal went on to say that while Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) called the Jan. 6 attack and the lead up to it a "coup," Katyal said that there were two kinds of coups. The first was the alternative electors, which he said was a lot like "alternative facts" and the other was the text messages.

See the discussion below:

[Rick Plant]

More evidence that Trump campaign knew claims of vote-stealing in major cities was bogus.





The motherlode of Meadows texts obtained by CNN includes this one from Marjorie Taylor Greene on Jan. 17 in which she says multiple colleagues advocated for Trump to declare martial law.

NOTABLY: Greene said last week under oath she could not recall whether she advocated this position with Trump, Meadows or anyone else. Text shows she encouraged Meadows to communicate the position of colleagues to Trump but appears here to have it both ways by saying she wasn't sure.

[Rick Plant]

Meadows aide testified that GOP lawmakers knew Jan. 6 scheme not ‘legally sound’ but pushed to overturn election anyway



Testimony from a former aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows helped provide context to the back-channel communications her boss had with Republican members of Congress after Donald Trump's election loss.

A new trove of text messages Meadows exchanged with Trump's allies and family members between the election and Joe Biden's inauguration discussing various schemes to keep the former president in office, and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the House select committee that she recalled at least 11 members of Congress discussing a plan to have vice president Mike Pence throw out the election results, reported the New York Times.

“They felt that he had the authority to — pardon me if my phrasing isn’t correct on this, but — send votes back to the states or the electors back to the states,” Hutchinson told congressional investigators.

Hutchinson testified that the members of Congress appeared to support a plan promoted by conservative attorney John Eastman that has been widely described as a coup attempt, and she told investigators that at least three of the GOP lawmakers -- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) -- were present when White House lawyers said the alternate electors scheme was not "legally sound."

However, she said, Meadows allowed the plan to move forward despite doubts about its legality.

The newly revealed text messages show Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) was an early supporter of that scheme, which he conceded was "highly controversial," and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) promoted the strategy up to Jan. 5, 2021, in a text message to Meadows.

Hutchinson also testified that Perry backed the plan to encourage Trump supporters to march on the Capitol, and she said no one present objected to the proposal, and the former Meadows aide made clear those members of Congress were “inclined to go with White House guidance” about sending a crowd to the Capitol as lawmakers certified the election results.

Some members of Congress spoke at the Trump rally that preceded the Capitol riot, amplifying the former president's lies about election fraud and using fiery language steeped in Revolutionary War rhetoric.

“Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking *ss,” said Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who wore body armor to the Ellipse rally. “Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America?"

Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/jan-6-texts-mark-meadows.html

[Rick Plant]

Trump Must Pay $10K a Day for Refusing to Turn Over Evidence

Donald Trump continues to stall handing evidence to the New York attorney general. Now he’s being penalized for it.



Former President Donald Trump must pay a $10,000 fine every day until he turns over evidence to New York’s attorney general, after a state judge on Monday ran out of patience with Trump’s persistent refusal to abide by the law.

New York Judge Arthur F. Engoron has overseen the AG’s nearly two-year battle to squeeze evidence out of the Trump Organization in the state office’s ongoing investigation into alleged bank fraud at the company. The judge issued his order in court this morning and said contempt was appropriate because of “repeated delays and failures of Mr. Trump.”

“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously. And I take mine seriously,” Engoron said.

AG Letitia James is reaching what could be the final stages of her Trump Organization investigation over the way the company has, for years, routinely inflated property values—something her investigators have deemed a scheme to dodge taxes and defraud banks.

In February, the judge ordered Trump and two of his adult children—executives Ivanka Trump and Don Jr.—to testify at a deposition. Although they continue to fight that on appeal, Trump himself was still obligated to turn over records.

Trump missed the March 3 deadline, got an extension to the end of that month, and still hasn’t turned over a page. Earlier this month, the AG’s office asked the judge to intervene.

“It’s been pulling teeth to get documents,” Kevin C. Wallace, an assistant attorney general, said in court.

Meanwhile, Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, castigated this “a political crusade.”

“The attorney general’s fact finding endeavor has continued to expand and grow in unreasonable and burdensome ways,” she said in court. “This is truly a fishing expedition.”

The Trump Organization is turning over final batches of evidence that investigators say they must review before deciding whether to formally sue the company for violations of state business laws. While the law enforcement effort is merely civil in nature, this parallel investigation has largely fueled the criminal probe led by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The AG’s actions are now of paramount importance, given that the Manhattan DA’s investigation appears to be falling apart. A grand jury convened to consider indicting Trump on criminal charges is set to have its term expire at the end of this week, and prosecutors have not been allowed to seek an indictment because of reluctance from the new DA who inherited the investigation, Alvin Bragg Jr.

If the AG’s office does take action against the Trump Organization, it’ll do so under New York executive law § 63(12), which allows the law enforcement agency to essentially kill any business that engages in “repeated fraudulent or illegal acts.” If she prevails, the Trump family’s corporate empire might also have to pay monetary damages.

The fight over evidence has been long and nasty. From the time the AG’s probe started in March 2019, while Trump was still at the White House, state investigators met stiff resistance from the Trump Organization. The AG made its effort public in August 2020, when it initially asked the court to intervene. Trump’s other adult executive son, Eric, was forced to testify behind closed doors—but merely dodged questions by pleading the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination nearly 500 times.

Fast forward to January this year, when the AG’s office revealed in court documents the myriad of ways the Trump Organization had altered property values—including coming up with numbers that had no basis in reality—what James later called “significant evidence” of fraud. One glaring example highlighted by investigators was the way Trump allegedly valued Trump Tower on New York City’s Fifth Avenue on official financial statements by asserting that his three-floor palatial apartment there was 30,000 square feet, even though in reality it was a third of that.

In the aftermath, the company’s long-time accountants at Mazars USA suddenly ditched them and disavowed past work it had done for Trump.

In court on Monday, Trump’s personal attorney tried to make the case that Trump shouldn’t be held in contempt of court for not turning over evidence because the AG’s office gave him a loophole: only turn over documents your company hasn’t already turned over.

Habba asserted that the company was already delivering records. However, the Trump Organization has not finished turning over paperwork, so investigators are still missing some evidence.

The judge’s principal law clerk, Allison R. Greenfield, zeroed in on what she identified as a contradiction.

“How can you affirm they’ve all been produced but on the other end say they’ll be produced later?” Greenfield asked.

Habba then chalked up the situation to “miscommunication” with the AG’s office, saying “this amounts to a very large misunderstanding.” The lawyer explained how she recently flew south to Trump’s personal estate at Mar-a-Lago in South Florida, where the twice-impeached former president assured her personally that he didn’t have any records about his property valuations (among other reasons, because he allegedly doesn’t text or email).

That surprised the judge and the attorney general’s lawyers, because Habba hadn’t asserted any of that in legal paperwork before the hearing.

“The problem is nothing is on the record,” Greenfield told Habba. “We wouldn't have to be here today if you'd just provided an affidavit.”

“There is a difference between saying something and saying something under oath,” the judge noted.

“Donald Trump does not believe he's above the law,” Habba said. “He doesn’t have anything more to give. My client is an honest person, much to the dismay of people in this room.”

But the attorney general’s lawyers stressed that even sworn documents wouldn’t be enough, because investigators want to see the files themselves.

“We know Mr. Trump has two cell phones… the only way is to have the phones imaged and searched,” said assistant attorney general Andrew S. Amer. “We certainly know he tweets.”

“We don’t have cooperation. It impacts every other aspect of the investigation. We are being hampered in our efforts to have a complete investigation, because we don't have evidence from the person who sits at the top of this organization,” Amer said.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-must-pay-dollar10k-a-day-for-refusing-to-turn-over-evidence-in-new-york-attorney-general-case

[Rick Plant]

Trump admission in never-before-seen deposition could provide incriminating evidence

Donald Trump's iron-like grip on his family business may come back to haunt him in a New York investigation into the Trump Organization.

"In a lawsuit’s never-before-seen testimony, Donald Trump admitted to personally overseeing the compensation of an executive whose corporate perks have been under scrutiny by the Manhattan district attorney, potentially strengthening the case against the former president and his company for tax fraud," The Daily Beast reported Tuesday. "Trump’s sworn testimony was filed in New York state court on Tuesday, as part of a lawsuit against the Trump Organization over the way its security guards manhandled protesters outside Trump Tower in 2015."

In the Oct. 18, 2021 deposition, Trump was asked about Matthew Calamari, Sr., the Trump Organization bodyguard who rose to become the company's chief operating officer.

When asked who has "authority" over Calamari's compensation, Trump repeatedly said, "It would be me."

"That would potentially make Trump personally responsible for any tax dodging scheme, and more importantly, is useful evidence in the grand jury investigation that has yet to produce an indictment against him," The Beast reported. "For months, three sources familiar with the Manhattan DA’s investigation have told The Daily Beast that investigators have been probing the way Calamari was paid off-the-books with allegedly untaxed perks, such as an extravagant corporate apartment at the Trump Park Avenue in New York City’s expensive midtown and a Mercedes-Benz. Prosecutors went as far as having Calamari’s son—corporate security director Matt Calamari Jr.—receive total immunity for potential crimes and testify before a grand jury."

Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg was indicted in a different "fringe benefits" case.

"In Calamari’s case, Manhattan DA investigators have been asking about the corporate perks since at least February 2021, according to one witness who was interviewed by prosecutors. It was clear to several witnesses that prosecutors had hoped to leverage a long-standing feud between the Calamari and Weisselberg families, a Shakespearean drama over who’s more loyal to the boss," The Beast reported. "Prosecutors could present these newly available statements to the grand jury as additional evidence tying Trump to whatever illegal payment scheme the DA’s office is alleging took place at the Trump Organization."

The older Calamari was worked for Trump for four decades, after Trump was impressed by watching Calamari tackle hecklers at the 1981 U.S. women's semifinal tennis match.


Trump Admits He Oversaw Pay for Executive Who Got Fishy Perks

Trump said in a just-released deposition that he personally oversaw the pay of the Trump Organization’s chief operating officer. That could be a problem for him.



In a lawsuit’s never-before-seen testimony, Donald Trump admitted to personally overseeing the compensation of an executive whose corporate perks have been under scrutiny by the Manhattan district attorney, potentially strengthening the case against the former president and his company for tax fraud.

Trump’s sworn testimony was filed in New York state court on Tuesday, as part of a lawsuit against the Trump Organization over the way its security guards manhandled protesters outside Trump Tower in 2015.

According to a transcript of the Oct. 18, 2021, deposition, Trump repeatedly asserted that he—and only he—oversaw the way Matthew Calamari Sr. was paid for his work as the family company’s chief operating officer.

“It would be me,” Trump repeatedly said, when asked who had “authority” over Calamari’s compensation.

That would potentially make Trump personally responsible for any tax dodging scheme, and more importantly, is useful evidence in the grand jury investigation that has yet to produce an indictment against him.


Matthew Calamari in 2017.

“That statement sounds as though it is adverse to Trump’s pecuniary interests, and therefore is admissible against him. Even though it’s made out of court and is hearsay,” said John Moscow, a renowned former prosecutor who spent 33 years at the Manhattan DA’s office.

For months, three sources familiar with the Manhattan DA’s investigation have told The Daily Beast that investigators have been probing the way Calamari was paid off-the-books with allegedly untaxed perks, such as an extravagant corporate apartment at the Trump Park Avenue in New York City’s expensive midtown and a Mercedes-Benz. Prosecutors went as far as having Calamari’s son—corporate security director Matt Calamari Jr.—receive total immunity for potential crimes and testify before a grand jury.

The circumstances are similar to the “fringe benefits” case that prosecutors have launched against the Trump Organization and its former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, who were indicted last summer for tax fraud. Both were charged with criminal tax fraud, and Weisselberg faces trial this upcoming summer for receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate perks in lieu of on-the-books, taxed salary.

Weisselberg received a luxury apartment and tuition for his grandchildren’s costly private school.

In Calamari’s case, Manhattan DA investigators have been asking about the corporate perks since at least February 2021, according to one witness who was interviewed by prosecutors. It was clear to several witnesses that prosecutors had hoped to leverage a long-standing feud between the Calamari and Weisselberg families, a Shakespearean drama over who’s more loyal to the boss.

However, formal charges have yet to materialize against the elder Calamari. And prosecutors late last year indicated they had no current plans to indict him, according to his defense lawyer, Nicholas Gravante.

Prosecutors could present these newly available statements to the grand jury as additional evidence tying Trump to whatever illegal payment scheme the DA’s office is alleging took place at the Trump Organization. It would be a rare feat in a place like New York, where the court rules are far more strict than most other venues.

In most states and in the federal judicial system, grand juries can consider evidence that’s deemed hearsay, otherwise defined as statements made out of court. (The downside is that those jurors can’t observe a person’s physical demeanor or gestures to gauge how to accurately interpret what they’re saying.) Meanwhile, grand juries in New York typically only consider something if a witness comes in person and testifies under oath.

However, three former prosecutors told The Daily Beast that New York allows for a narrow exception: hearsay is allowed if a person is essentially self-incriminating.

“Statements made in a civil deposition are admissible in a criminal proceeding against the person who made the statement. That’s why people can invoke their Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination at civil proceedings as well as criminal,” said Adam Kaufmann, a partner at the law firm of Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss who previously served as chief of the Manhattan DA’s investigative division.

In this case, Trump did not stay quiet. And the Trump Organization actually boasted about how forthcoming their boss was at this deposition.

“President Trump answered every single question that was asked of him at his deposition today. There was not a single question he did not answer,” Trump spokesperson, Amanda Miller, told The Daily Beast at the time.

The civil case at hand was sparked by Trump’s own June 2015 speech announcing his presidential run, when then-candidate Trump referred to Mexicans as “rapists” and “killers.” Queens resident Efrain Galicia and others decided to protest on the public New York City sidewalk outside Trump Tower to highlight the racism in those statements. Videos show how company security guards ripped their signs away and punched Galicia when he tried to get it back. Galicia and others sued on Sept. 9, 2015.

Fast forward five years to Oct. 18, 2021, and the former president is now sitting in Trump Tower for a sworn deposition.

Galicia’s lawyer, Benjamin N. Dictor, questioned Trump about the incident and the various security guards who handled it. But the Monday morning session took a turn when Dictor repeatedly asked about Calamari, who once served as Trump’s personal bodyguard.

Trump recalled how he hired Calamari after watching him tackle hecklers at a 1981 tennis match, describing how the security guard rose through the ranks over the years and eventually came to manage several company properties.



Dictor asked Trump who at the company made the decision to increase Calamari’s compensation with various promotions.

“I imagine it was primarily me,” Trump responded.

The attorney asked different versions of the question three more times, and the answer remained the same. Dictor even got Trump to admit that he alone had the power.

“Has there ever been a time from the time Mr. Calamari has hired until Sept. 3, 2015 when any other employee of the Trump Organization had authority over Mr. Calamari’s compensation?” Dictor asked.

“It’s a specific question, but I would say that if the children would have gotten together and recommended it, that would have been fine, too, you know. No, but generally it would be me,” Trump said. “I’m the owner.”

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-admits-he-oversaw-pay-for-executive-matthew-calamari-who-got-fishy-perks

[Rick Plant]

Text messages reveal Republican Scott Perry wanted NSA to investigate Trump’s election fraud fantasies: CNN



Yet more text messages are being reported that document Republican efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election as former President Donald Trump sought to hold onto power despite losing to Democrat Joe Biden.

"Newly obtained text messages and recent court filings fill in significant gaps about the key role a little-known Pennsylvania Republican congressman played at almost every turn in scheming to reverse or delay certification of the 2020 election. The texts, which were among those selectively provided by Donald Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the House select committee, show Rep. Scott Perry pushing to have the nation's top intelligence official investigate baseless conspiracy theories and working to replace the US acting attorney general with an acolyte willing to do Trump's bidding," CNN reported Tuesday.

Previous reporting on Meadows' text messages has shed new light on the actions of Donald Trump, Jr., Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and Ginny Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

"From an Intel friend: DNI needs to task NSA to immediately seize and begin looking for international comms related to Dominion," Perry texted to Meadows on Nov. 12.

In the hours following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Perry led the effort to reject Pennsylvania's electoral votes, for which he was blasted the next day in the York Dispatch.

"If Perry truly believes that the election that returned him to the Capitol for a fifth term was illegal and the results should be overturned, he does have a personal recourse. He can and should resign. Immediately," the editorial board wrote. "How can anyone who says that the votes that put him into his office, the votes that allowed him voice on the House floor during one of the most important functions Congress has, overseeing the orderly transfer of power to a new presidential administration, were accepted under unconstitutional means and produced an illegitimate outcome, and then keep that office?"

The editorial board wrote that Perry "cannot be trusted to represent the people of the 10th District, the people whose votes he was so willing to cast aside in the service of a demagogue of a president who just hours earlier had incited a mob to force their way into the U.S. Capitol building."


CNN Exclusive: Meadows’ texts reveal new details about the key role a little-known GOP congressman played in efforts to overturn election

Washington
CNN
 —
Newly obtained text messages and recent court filings fill in significant gaps about the key role a little-known Pennsylvania Republican congressman played at almost every turn in scheming to reverse or delay certification of the 2020 election.

The texts, which were among those selectively provided by Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the House select committee, show Rep. Scott Perry pushing to have the nation’s top intelligence official investigate baseless conspiracy theories and working to replace the US acting attorney general with an acolyte willing to do Trump’s bidding.

“From an Intel friend: DNI needs to task NSA to immediately seize and begin looking for international comms related to Dominion,” Perry wrote to Meadows on November 12, just five days after the election was called for Joe Biden.

In the text, which has not been previously reported, Perry appears to be urging Meadows to get John Ratcliffe, then-Director of National Intelligence, to order the National Security Agency to investigate debunked claims that Dominion voting machines were hacked by China.

Perry, a five-term congressman, is a retired Brigadier General with nearly 40 years of military service, including flying combat missions in Iraq. Given his extensive background, he is likely familiar with the inner-workings of government intelligence.

Perry has thus far declined to voluntarily cooperate with the House select committee, and in a previous statement has called the committee illegitimate.

Perry on Tuesday refused to answer several questions from CNN at the Capitol about his texts to Meadows.

It’s unclear whether Meadows responded to Perry’s November 12 text. A source familiar with the situation tells CNN that Meadows did not approach Ratcliffe about what Perry was asking.

Last year, the Senate singled out Perry for his role in promoting Trump’s election fraud conspiracies. The Meadows texts provide new details into his efforts behind the scenes. In particular, the texts show how Perry, now the head of the House Freedom Caucus, was one of the most vocal advocates for recruiting top government officials to investigate baseless claims of voter fraud.

Perry wrote to Meadows again on November 12 claiming that “the Brits” orchestrated a conspiracy to manipulate voting machines in the US and that then-CIA Director Gina Haspel was helping cover it up.

“And Gina is still running around on the Hill covering for the Brits who helped quarterback this entire operation,” Perry texted. “DNI needs to be tasked to audit their overseas accounts at CIA - and their National Endowment for Democracy. “

More than a month later, Perry texted Meadows a YouTube link detailing another conspiracy theory: that votes were changed by Italian satellites.

“Why can’t we just work with the Italian government?” Perry wrote. According to the text logs, Meadows does not appear to have responded to that message, emails released by the Senate Judiciary Committee last year show he did forward the same video link to then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen hours later.

Rosen subsequently refused to look into the claim further and said he would “not be giving any special treatment to Giuliani or any of his ‘witnesses,’ ” an email discussion between the acting attorney general and top DOJ officials emails show.

“Pure insanity,” another former DOJ official, Richard Donoghue, responded to Rosen about the claim.

New court filing

A new court filing also reveals how Perry played a key role in strategizing with Trump allies about throwing out electoral votes in states Trump lost.

In testimony released on Friday, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told House investigators about Perry’s role in White House strategy sessions.

“Mr. Perry is one that immediately jumps to mind as me recalling him physically being there and then pushing back,” Hutchinson said, describing how the Pennsylvania Republican clashed with Trump’s White House counsel over whether the plan for states to submit alternate slate of electors was legally sound.

On November 21, Meadows also went through Perry in order to get in touch with local lawmakers in his state.

“Can you send me the number for the speaker and the leader of PA Legislature. POTUS wants to chat with them,” Meadows wrote to Perry.

More than a month later, Perry texted Meadows stressing a need for urgency as January 6 and Biden’s inauguration were quickly approaching.

“Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!” he wrote to Meadows on December 26.


Rep. Scott Perry speaks as Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the House Committee On Foreign Affairs, March 10, 2021.

On five occasions, according to the text messages reviewed by CNN, Perry texted Meadows to request the conversation move to the encrypted messaging app “Signal” or to alert Meadows to a message he sent on the encrypted platform.

Such a move could put the exchange out of the committee’s reach because Signal does not collect or save user data, making it more difficult to provide that information to outside entities, including law enforcement and congressional investigators, even under subpoena.

The committee has previously released a January 5 text message Meadows received from an unidentified member of Congress saying, “Please check your signal.”

CNN has now confirmed that message came from Perry.

Enlisting Justice Department officials

The texts also show that Perry acted as a conduit between Meadows and Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Clark, a relatively obscure official who emerged as a central figure in Trump’s election gambit after the former President nearly named him as acting attorney general days before the US Capitol riot.

The messages draw a direct link between Perry, Clark and the Trump White House-led effort to enlist the Justice Department to help overturn the election.

Starting in late December, after top Justice Department officials refused to intervene in the election process on Trump’s behalf, Perry repeatedly pushed Meadows to install Clark in a top position at the department and give him the “authority to enforce what needs to be done,” the texts show.

"Mark, you should call Jeff. I just got off the phone with him and he explained to me why the principal deputy won’t work especially with the FBI. They will view it as as not having the authority to enforce what needs to be done,” Perry texted Meadows on December 26, days before the heated Oval Office meeting where Trump raised the idea of replacing the then-acting attorney general with Clark.

“I got it. I think I understand. Let me work on the deputy position,” Meadows responded.

Nearly a week later Perry texted Meadows again about Clark.

“Please call me the instant you get off the phone with Jeff,” Perry wrote to Meadows on January 2, referring to Clark.

In January 2021, Perry admitted to being the link between Trump and Clark.

“Throughout the past four years, I worked with Assistant Attorney General Clark on various legislative matters. When President Trump asked if I would make an introduction, I obliged,” Perry said in a statement to a local Pennsylvania outlet in January 2021.

Perry’s role in the pressure campaign against Justice Department officials in December 2020 was detailed in a Senate Judiciary report released last year. But the report also acknowledged that its findings were incomplete, listing Perry as one of three Trump allies whose connections to January 6 required further investigation by the House select panel. The committee has asked Perry to talk with them voluntarily, but Perry has so far refused.

“I stand with immense respect for our Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the Americans I represent who know that this entity is illegitimate, and not duly constituted under the rules of the US House of Representatives,” Perry wrote in a statement on Twitter declining the panel’s request in December.

California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democratic member of the committee that’s investigating the insurrection, told CNN they have not ruled out issuing subpoenas to lawmakers, including Perry. Lofgren noted that because Perry swore to uphold the Constitution as a member of Congress, he’s “legally obliged” to talk to the committee.

“We could do a variety of things to try and compel, but the main thing is he should come in and not try and hide the truth,” Lofgren said. “We need to get to the bottom of this to protect our Constitution and system of government.”

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/26/politics/mark-meadows-texts-scott-perry-key-role-overturn-election/index.html

[Rick Plant]

NY AG nearly done unraveling Trump's 'Russian nesting doll' as lawsuit deadline nears



The New York attorney general's office is nearly finished with a civil investigation into the Trump Organization.

Investigators say they're almost done unraveling the "Russian nesting doll" of the company's assets, but prosecutors told a court they still want to search two of Donald Trump's cell phones and two of his longtime assistant Rhona Graff's computers, reported CNN.

"The process is near the end," said Kevin Wallace, a senior enforcement counsel for the state attorney general.

The office hired a third-party firm to search the real estate company's files, and investigators have identified 151 custodians, or people or entities, that might have documents sought by the attorney general, but Wallace said they're focused on only the "most important" pieces of information because the deadline to file a lawsuit is SaPersonay under the statute of limitations.

The tolling agreement reached with the Trump Organization ends this week, the attorney general's office still would have several weeks to decide its next step in the investigation.

New York state Judge Arthur Engoron held Trump in civil contempt and fined him $10,000 a day for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the attorney general's office, but he also asked investigators what was taking them so long and where their probe was headed.

"Given the upcoming end of the tolling agreement we will likely need to bring some kind of enforcement action in the near future to preserve our rights," Wallace said.

The attorney general's office has agreed to meet with attorneys for the Trump Organization to discuss possible resolutions to the case, which has for years hung over the former president, who called the investigation a witch hunt and blasted attorney general Letitia James as a "racist."

Court filings show the attorney general's office believes the company made misleading statements and omissions in financial statements in filings with lenders and insurers to gain tax benefits, but Trump and his children have not cooperated with investigators -- despite a court order to comply with subpoenas issued by James.

"The company relies more on its people than its systems," Wallace told the court, noting the Trump Organization moved millions of dollars through 500 entities using varied accounting systems.

Wallace pointed to Trump's golf course in Jupiter, Florida, which was purchased in 2012 for $5 million and bundled in a financial statement with a $2 billion bucket of club assets, but supporting documents showed the company valued the course at $46 million without explanation.

"These issues repeat across clubs," Wallace said. "Each of these assets is like a Russian nesting doll."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/politics/trump-ny-investigation/index.html