Former chief of staff Mark Meadows has been largely quiet recently, New York Times reporter Mike Schmidt told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday, and they wondered why that might be.
As it turns out, Schmidt explained, it's been discovered that Meadows, a "potentially key figure in inquiries related to Mr. Trump, has testified before a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigations being led by the special counsel’s office, according to two people briefed on the matter."
There are two investigations under Smith – one relates to the classified document scandal and the other goes to the Jan. 6 attack and the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. Meadows has been a large part of the latter, though it isn't clear which investigation he testified in.
The Times characterized Meadows as a polarizing figure in the Trump White House, who served as nothing more than a glorified gatekeeper. Lately, Trump's aides and allies have been confused about why Meadows has kept his head down. "Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers believe he could be a significant witness in the inquiries," Schmidt said.
Trump himself has asked about Meadows, those familiar with the president's conversations told the Times.
Meadows' lawyer George Terwilliger, said, “Without commenting on whether or not Mr. Meadows has testified before the grand jury or in any other proceeding, Mr. Meadows has maintained a commitment to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so.”
