(FiveNation.com)- Some legal experts are speculating that members of former President Donald Trump’s inner circle have already turned against him and started cooperating with the investigation, which is being conducted by the Department of Justice’s special counsel into Trump’s role in the riot on January 6 at the Capitol.
Attorney Ryan Goodman, who formerly held the position of a special counsel to the general counsel of the Department of Defense, asserted that it is likely that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has “flipped” to avoid being held accountable for his crimes, citing the wealth of evidence made public this week by the January 6 House committee.
According to a transcript of an interview with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, Meadows’ spokesperson Ben Williamson had called Hutchinson before her deposition with the House panel and advised her not to recall too much.
He said, “Well, Mark wants me to let you know that he knows you’re loyal, and he knows you’ll do the right thing tomorrow and that you’re going to protect him and the boss,” or words to that effect.
According to the executive summary of the report, some witnesses and attorneys were needlessly combative and answered hundreds of questions with variations of “I do not recall” in situations where that response seemed unbelievable.
“Essentially Exhibit One for the trial of Mark Meadows for witness tampering,” Goodman said of the revelation.
It’s simple to imagine Meadows has changed his mind and is working with the Justice Department given this level of criminal exposure. On Thursday, Goodman tweeted that “DOJ should be able to squeeze Meadows and Ben Williamson” using Hutchinson’s testimony.
According to Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, if Meadows attempted to tamper with witnesses or otherwise obstruct justice, “that gives Special Counsel Jack Smith leverage he can use to pressure Meadows to cooperate to avoid indictment or receive a reduced sentence.
The conclusion of the January 6 committee’s report has rekindled Trump’s worries that those closest to him would reveal him to avoid being investigated by the DOJ.
For their involvement in attempting to invalidate the results of the 2020 election, Meadows, Trump, and four other people have been referred to the DOJ for criminal charges. The referrals are merely a symbolic action because Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is not required to consider them, would ultimately decide whether to press charges.
Meadows was previously in contempt of Congress for refusing to assist with the House investigation. The DOJ chose not to press charges, though.
