On Tuesday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," David Gergen, an adviser who worked in the White House under four different presidents, outlined the significance of former chief of staff Mark Meadows facing a criminal referral for contempt of Congress.
"David, if the U.S. Justice Department does decide to prosecute Meadows, he'll be the first White House chief of staff to face criminal charges since Watergate," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "What does that say about this unprecedented chapter right now in America's history?"
"The fact that it's been so long," said Gergen. "Big gap since Bob Haldeman under the Nixon administration was forced to resign and eventually went to jail. He was chief of staff to Richard Nixon. We've had nothing like that since. I think it only underscores how big and major these developments have become. We're in big-league damage here being done by Donald Trump to a lot of the people around him, including Mark Meadows, whom I think is going to pay a fearful price for this."
Gergen then addressed the role that Fox News hosts played in trying to get Trump to stop the riots.
"Fox News, the fact that Fox News appears to be an arm of Donald Trump, an arm of the Trump White House, when you have a question about where to go and you're at the news bureau, you don't talk to your newsman," added Gergen. "You go to the White House to get instructions. I think it speaks volumes about how far off track the Trump team got. Frankly, it's going to cast more clouds over the prospect of him running for president in '24."
Watch below:
David Gergen says Trump is doing "big-league damage" to his associates protecting himwww.youtube.com
