Donald Trump Jr. led a chorus of Trump insiders who pleaded with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to convince the former president to end the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
As the full House of Representatives prepares to vote Tuesday on referring Meadows for contempt prosecution, the congressional committee investigating the attack revealed damaging messages from the presidential son and a raft of right-wing boldface names.
“He’s got to condemn this s—- ASAP,” Donald Trump Jr. texted Meadows, according to the messages bared by the panel Monday night.
“I’m pushing it hard. I agree,” Meadows replied.
“We need an Oval Office address. He has to leave now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand,” Trump Jr. wrote back.
Meadows received similar messages from MAGA lawmakers and Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham as the crowd marauded unchecked through the Capitol on Jan. 6, the committee revealed.
“Can he make a statement, ask people to leave the Capitol?” Hannity texted to Meadows.
Even Meadows agreed in real-time that Trump should go on national TV or take to Twitter to call off his thousands of supporters.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the panel’s vice chairwoman, read the texts out loud during the hearing that ended with the panel voting to recommend the contempt charges against Meadows.
Cheney, a GOP insider turned Trump critic, derided the former president’s “supreme dereliction” of duty for sitting on his hands as the mob hunted down perceived enemies.
“These texts leave no doubt,” Cheney said. “The White House knew exactly what was happening at the Capitol.”
Meadows handed thousands of bombshell messages and other documents to the committee.
He’s also revealed details of his interactions with Trump in a new White House memoir. But he abruptly flip-flopped and refused to cooperate last week, citing executive privilege.
If the full House votes as expected to recommend Meadows face prosecution, the Justice Department will have to decide whether to seek his indictment.
Meadows appeared on Hannity’s show late Monday but neither man even mentioned their bombshell texts that were bared earlier in the evening.
“This is about Donald Trump and about actually going after him once again,” Meadows said.
