By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows has decided to not cooperate with the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. The panel stated on Tuesday that it was prepared to bring contempt charges against Meadows.

Representative Bennie Thompson is the chairman of the House of Representatives Select Committee. He stated in a statement, that the panel would act if Meadows does not show up to a scheduled Wednesday deposition.

Thompson stated in a statement that “If Mr. Meadows does not appear, the Select Committee would be forced to proceed with contempt proceedings” and recommended that Mr. Meadows’ former employer refer him to criminal prosecution.

Fox News was the first to report Meadows’ rejection of cooperation earlier Tuesday. Last week, the Democratic-led Committee said Meadows provided records and that Meadows agreed to “soon,” after failing to attend a scheduled one.

Meadows was a Republican House Member until joining Trump’s government last year. Meadows refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee may lead to it pursuing contempt charges against Meadows as well as against Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official and Steve Bannon’s former chief strategist.

Trump supporters stormed Capitol Jan. 6 to protest the formal congressional recognition of Trump’s 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump addressed his supporters before the riot. He repeated his false claim that the election had been stolen through widespread voter fraud. He urged them to get to the Capitol to fight like hell to stop the theft.

Trump has asked his associates to not cooperate with the committee. He called the investigation political motivated and claimed that executive privilege protects his communications. However, many legal professionals have stated that the legal principle doesn’t apply to ex-presidents.