By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – A U.S. congressional panel investigating the fatal Jan. 6, 2006 attack on Capitol voted to file “contemptof Congress” charges against Mark Meadows. Meadows served as White House chief staff officer to Donald Trump.

A report was approved by the House of Representatives Select Committee by seven Democratic members and two Republican members. It recommended the criminal prosecution of Meadows. The unanimous vote of 9-0 was a result of which the chamber will vote.

Meadows was repeatedly summoned to depose before the Democratic-led Committee, but he declined to comply despite being subpoenaed.

He has given some information to the panel but he is holding back many documents. This was because he used to work for the president.

Meadows was a House member for seven years before joining Trump’s administration in 2020. He has now sued Nancy Pelosi and the House committee over this matter.

George Terwilliger was also his attorney and wrote Monday to the committee asking them to reconsider their plan to vote. He argued that it would not be legal for the panel’s to refer the matter to the House for a vote.

Chairman of the Select Committee, Representative Bennie Thompson said that this argument was not valid. He noted that Meadows has published and promoted a book which details the events under investigation by the panel.

Thompson claimed that Thompson has not provided any credible reason for Thompson to block the Select Committee investigation.

He stated that about 300 witnesses had testified. The investigators of the investigation have more than 33,000 records.