CLAPBACK: Ex-Trump Chief of Staff rebuts rumors of plea deal
An uncorroborated report is behind widespread rumors that Trump’s Chief of Staff is pleading guilty to some lesser criminal charges, ratting out his former boss, and taking partial immunity.
His attorney has directly denied only at least part of this.
Mark Meadows was the last person to serve as White House Chief of Staff to Donald Trump, including during the January 6th insurrection.
He reportedly met directly with Special Prosecutor Jack Smith.
The latest leakage from those with knowledge of the investigation is that the former Freedom Caucus Congressman, Meadows has spilled his guts in return for partial immunity—again, these rumors were reported from The Independent and are not confirmed or detailed—but that would presumably be in relation to any roles he had in attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
It could indicate that Trump is in trouble.
His attorney, George Terwilliger, is specifically denying rumors that Meadows will plead guilty to anything at all
However, the lawyer chose not to address whether Meadows sought immunity in return for his testimony.
That could be a major tell.
Terwilliger also didn’t address whether Meadows’ testimony is damning enough to be a major catalyst for the next stage of the investigation, a Grand Jury vote on whether to indict.
Mark Meadows was certainly close enough to the epicenter of all things Trump to know many of the most damaging secrets if he’s willing to tell. The Independent reports:
“A source who was briefed on the agreement claimed that the alleged agreement will involve the ex-chief of staff entering pleas of guilty to unspecified federal crimes but an attorney for Mr Meadows, George Terwilliger, denied that to The Independent. Mr. Terwilliger said that the idea that his client would enter any guilty pleas was “complete bulls***” but did not address the matter of immunity in a brief telephone conversation with this reporter.”
Terwilliger’s previous comments on the matter have been similarly terse.
On Tuesday, when it was first reported that Meadows had testified, he refused to confirm whether his client had testified “before the Grand Jury or in any other proceeding” but did affirm that his client “maintained a commitment, to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so.” (That is an incredibly low bar, really).
As for the 34-times indicted, twice impeached ex-president, he’s clearly concerned about what his former subordinate might be sharing with federal investigators.
Trump has reportedly been quizzing those in his orbit about what his former Chief of Staff is doing, and his allies have been questioning why Meadows’ role, if any, in the investigations has been such a quiet one.
