Mark Meadows wanted to bribe Georgia investigators by sending them ‘a s***load of POTUS stuff’, aide says

‘White House staff intervened to make sure that didn’t happen’

The House select committee investigating January 6 has said that they have received text messages suggesting that Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows wanted to send gifts to investigators in the form of “a s***load of POTUS stuff”, according to a White House aide, such as coins, autographed MAGA hats and other items.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s chief investigator Frances Watson was supervising the vote audit process in the state.

Mr Meadows set up a call between then-President Trump and Ms Watson in which he repeated the lie that he had won the presidential election in Georgia.

“When the right answer comes out, you’ll be praised,” Mr Trump told the law enforcement official.

“Whatever you can do,” he later told Ms Watson.

January 6 committee member Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said during the hearing on Tuesday that “the Select Committee has received text messages indicating that Mark Meadows wanted to send some of the investigators in her office, in the words of one White House aide, ‘a s***load of POTUS stuff,’ including coins, actual autographed MAGA hats, etc”.

“White House staff intervened to make sure that didn’t happen,” Mr Schiff said.

On the call with Ms Watson, Mr Trump said January 6 was a “very important date”.

Mr Meadows texted or called Mr Raffensperger’s office 18 times in an effort to schedule a call between Mr Trump and Mr Raffensperger, according to Mr Schiff.

“They were quite persistent,” he said. The Democrat said Mr Meadows “took the extraordinary step” of visiting the state, where he met Ms Watson. She spoke to Mr Trump on 23 December 2020.

Mr Meadows asked Mr Raffensperger on 19 November 2020 to “give me a brief call at your convenience”.

On 5 December, he wrote “Mr Secretary. Can you call the White House switchboard ... For a call. Your voicemail is full”.

During a 2 January call between Mr Raffensperger and Mr Trump, as he was pushing Mr Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for the election result in the state to be overturned, Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs texted Mr Meadows that they needed “to end this call”, according to CNN.

“I don’t think this will be productive much longer,” she added. “Let’s save the relationship.”