This is breaking as I type. According to single source reporting on CNN, former Trump Chief of Staff was served in late January by Special Counsel Jack Smith for records and testimony in front of the grand jury. This was just before Smith slapped former VP Mike Pence with his own subpoena.

This is potentially devastating news for Meadows, for several reasons. The biggest of them is that even before it starts, Meadows appears to be running out of emergency exits.

For starters, Meadows has already been ordered by a federal judge to testify in the Fulton County DA’s special grand jury probe into Trump election fraud, so apparently his legal framework for exemption sucked. Second, in the case of United States v Nixon, the court ruled that since a grand jury wasn’t a criminal trial, they were entitled to all pertinent information. So executive privilege won’t hold water. And since Meadows wasn’t even the President of the Senate, Pence’s bullshit attempt to use the constitutional speech and debate clause won’t apply to Meadows.

This is a thorny problem for Meadows with a hidden risk. The DOJ has a long standing rule that they will not compel a target of a grand jury to testify before a grand jury. I agree, it isn’t fair, either he testifies truthfully, and likely convicts himself out of his own mouth, lies and faces perjury charges, or pleads the 5th Amendment, and we all know what a stigma that carries.

But there is no rule against compelling a subject in an investigation to testify. They just can’t use anything he says to the grand jury against him in court should he be charged. But if he says something incriminating, there is nothing to stop the DOJ from looking for independent testimony and corroborating evidence to use against the subject at trial.I don’t see any realistic way in which Meadows wriggles off the hook in being compelled to testify. But at the same time, seeing as he’s the top date on every prosecutors dance card, I don’t see him as being stupid enough to confirm anything but his name and birth date. Look for Meadows to take a crack at Trump’s world title for more than 400 5th Amendment cop outs. Don’t touch that dial.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe there’s a fresh wind blowing. This sanctimonious christo-fascist deserves prison. We’ll see if he slips out of the grasp of justice just like the statutory rapist drunk from Florida. Time will tell. Over 700 days since January 6th & counting.

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  2. I’m wondering how Pence is taking this news. After all, Meadows got his subpoena before he did! And Meadows? Each of them are probably shitting bricks while begging their respective lawyers to somehow find out what the other has or intends to provide Smith. Or maybe they really can be bunkmates sitting in jail for Contempt of Court for refusing to testify when ordered by the judge.

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