A federal appeals court has rejected a ploy from former President Donald Trump’s legal team to block testimony — or further testimony — from certain associates of the former commander-in-chief like Mark Meadows, who was chief of staff in the Trump White House when the Capitol riot happened.
Others whose testimony has been under dispute in the federal January 6 probe include John Ratcliffe, Robert O’Brien, Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino, Ken Cuccinelli, and others, who among them had roles close to Trump when he was in office. O’Brien, for instance, was the then-president’s national security adviser, and Cuccinelli had a high-ranking position in the Department of Homeland Security. The idea — or at least a key idea — was that executive privilege provided protections for Trump against investigators obtaining further info from these individuals, although such contentions have largely failed in similar court challenges so far.
A dispute over Mike Pence giving testimony already culminated in a federal judge in the capital rejecting any plan to completely block his testimony amid claims of, among other things, privileges ordinarily accessible to legislative officials applying to Pence. As vice president, he also held a role as president of the Senate, and on January 6, it’s in that role that he was largely operating in overseeing proceedings to certify the outcome of the presidential election that had just taken place.
According to CNN, the Trump team didn’t only lose at the appeals level. That legal assemblage also unsuccessfully sought a pause on the case from the judge, James Boasberg, who has taken over as chief judge on the D.C. circuit, a role whose occupant generally deals with disputes in grand jury matters. The denial from the appeals court emerged on Tuesday, which was the same day Trump was arraigned in Manhattan in his unfolding criminal case dealing with some of the rhetorical fallout from the hush money infamously given to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
With a quick turnaround, Cuccinelli showed up to answer further questions on Tuesday, adding to the looming case against Trump in yet another probe. “Trump’s team is unlikely to ask the Supreme Court for help, one source told CNN,” that outlet said, suggesting the rest of the figures on the list could also be soon showing up. Trump could be criminally charged in this probe, as could associates of his. Special Counsel Jack Smith was provided the power to issue criminal charges and is also investigating circumstances around the classified documents Trump was harboring in southern Florida.
