Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows has been issued a subpoena in the special counsel’s ongoing investigation into Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
Reports indicate special counsel Jack Smith issued the subpoena to Meadows in January. Smith is seeking documents and testimony related to the Jan. 6 riot.
The subpoena of Meadows follows the recent subpoena of former Vice President Mike Pence. (RELATED: Mike Pence Subpoenaed by Special Counsel Investigating Jan. 6)
Pence has vowed to fight the subpoena from the DOJ, saying he was prepared to go to the Supreme Court if it was necessary.
“I’m going to fight the Biden DOJ’s subpoena for me to appear before the grand jury because I believe it’s unconstitutional, and it’s unprecedented,” Pence told reporters after an event in Iowa on Wednesday.
As American Liberty News previously reported:
The aides told Politico that Pence’s decision to challenge Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request has little to do with executive privilege, instead, he plans to argue that his former role as president of the Senate — therefore a member of the legislative branch — shields him from certain Justice Department demands.
Pence allies say he is covered by the constitutional provision that protects congressional officials from legal proceedings related to their work — language known as the “speech or debate” clause. The clause, Pence allies say, legally binds federal prosecutors from compelling Pence to testify about the central components of Smith’s investigation. If Pence testifies, they say, it could jeopardize the separation of powers that the Constitution seeks to safeguard.
“He thinks that the ‘speech or debate’ clause is a core protection for Article I, for the legislature,” said one of the two people familiar with Pence’s thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss his legal strategy. “He feels it really goes to the heart of some separation of powers issues. He feels duty-bound to maintain that protection, even if it means litigating it.”
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