Mark Meadows Incinerated Documents After 2020 Election, Witness Tells Jan. 6 Committee

Then-White House Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows burned documents shortly after the 2020 presidential election, a witness has told the Jan. 6 committee that is investigating the 2021 Capitol insurrection.

According to Politico, Cassidy Hutchinson, who worked for Meadows at the White House, testified that she saw Meadows burn documents after a meeting at his office with Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA). Politico cited an anonymous source familiar with the investigation. A lawyer for Meadows declined to comment to the publication.

After then-President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, some members of his inner circle and other allies commenced a haphazard campaign for Trump to stay in power. Trump baselessly claimed the election was “rigged” against him in several states.

Documents and testimony show that Perry connected with justice department official Jeffrey Clark, who lobbied the department to assist Trump in overturning the election. As has been previously reported, Politico noted that Trump considered firing Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and replacing him with Clark.

The plan floated by Trump’s allies was to convince Republican-controlled legislatures in states won by Joe Biden to certify Trump as the winner instead.

“Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down,” Perry texted Meadows on Dec. 26, 2020. “11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!”

Trump declined to install Clark as attorney general after top justice department officials threatened to quit en masse.

Earlier this month, the committee subpoenaed Perry, whose deadline to comply is Thursday.

Meadow initially cooperated with the investigation and handed over a trove of documents. However, he has ceased doing so. As a result, Congress voted to recommend he be charged with criminal contempt.