Mark Meadows' legal peril increased after the Jan. 6 committee handed the DOJ their report: legal expert

Now that the Department of Justice has the report from the Jan. 6 committee that examined the lead-up and day of the Donald Trump-inspired insurrection at the Capitol building, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig explained that DOJ investigators will be able to use tools unavailable to the House select committee.

One of those most impacted will be former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, he explained to hosts Erica Hill and Jim Sciutto.

"There's a lot to digest here," host Sciutto began. "Part of the committee's function here is to make this public record. We know they're providing information to the DOJ which has some potential criminal decisions to make. I want to ask you about one thing in particular: they also released questions they were not able to ask someone like Mark Meadows because he refused to testify. One of their questions specifically related to the deployment of the National Guard, saying there was an email on January 5th from Mr. Meadows in which he indicates the guard would be present at the Capitol to protect pro-Trump people, not to protect the Capitol or the members of Congress, but to protect pro-Trump people there."

"Given that's an existing line of questioning for the committee, what's the significance of that? This is a big question here: did Trump act to try to protect the Capitol?" he asked.

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"I think it's interesting that the committee wanted to ask Mark Meadows that question," the former prosecutor responded. "It goes to what Mark Meadows knew, intent, and what the larger plan was involving Trump."

"This underscores the need to get testimony from people like Mark Meadows, he's first and foremost," he elaborated. A lot of these people no-showed on the committee or took the 5th. Prosecutors have different types of subpoenas, they have grand jury subpoenas they have much more ability to really force people to testify. So, a big question is what will prosecutors do about Mark Meadows in particular? He's sort of wriggled away without testifying fully and prosecutors may be able to remedy that."

Watch video below or at this link.

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