Ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows refuses to answer multiple questions about Capitol riot

Mr Meadows was confronted by reporters while walking in Washington DC

Former White HouseChief of StaffMark Meadows declined to answer multiple questions about the Capitol riot and his role in it as he walked through the streets of Washington, DC on Thursday.

Mr Meadows, who served as Donald Trump’s chief aide from March 2020 through the riot and the end of Mr Trump’s tenure as president in 2021, is still based in Washington as a partner with the Conservative Partnership Institute.

“As I’ve said, I don’t comment on anything on January 6, guys,” Mr Meadows said. “I appreciate the job you’re doing.”

Mr Meadows declined to answer rapid-fire questions on the testimony his former aide Cassidy Hutchinson gave to the House Select Committee, whether he’s asked for pardons from members of Congress, whether Donald Trump committed a crime on January 6, and whether he is cooperating with the committee.

“The President’s opinions obviously speak for themselves,” Mr Meadows said at one point, before reiterating that he would not comment on anything related to January 6 or the possibility of another Trump campaign for president.

Mr Meadows was born on a US Army hospital in France and grew up in Florida. He recieved an associate degree from the University of South Florida and opened a restaurant in North Carolina before moving into real estate and becoming active in politics.

He was first elected to the US House in 2012 and became a founding member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, opposing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and endorsing Mr Trump for president, before resigning from his elected position to assume the role of White House chief of staff.

In recent months, particularly following Ms Hutchinson’s testimony to the committee, reporters and investigators have zeroed in on Mr Meadows’ conduct in the buildup to and during the Capitol riot. Mr Meadows has resisted testifying before the committee and has also resisted turning over documents related to the riot that the committee has subpoenaed from him.

Last week, Rolling Stone reported that members of Mr Trump’s inner cirlce believe that Mr Meadows is “a likely fall guy for the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election” and are preparing for the possibility that Mr Meadows will ultimately face criminal charges as the committee probes his finances as well as actions before and during January 6.

Mr Trump has thus far avoided criminal charges for his own role in the riot.