Christie: Meadows 'looks to me like somebody who’s cooperating' with Smith

26 July 2023

Editor's note: This story originally contained opinionated language inconsistent with an objective news report. That language has since been removed. AlterNet regrets this error.

Former New Jersey governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday that he sees signs that Donald Trump's final White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is cooperating with the United States Justice Department's investigation into Trump's failed effort to nullify the results of the 2020 election and remain in power.

Earlier this month, Trump received a target letter from Smith notifying him that he is likely to be charged in connection with the January 6th, 2021 insurrection. Meadows is believed to have been present for everything on that fateful day, including what Trump did and did not do as his supporters stormed the Capitol and threatened to assassinate then-Vice President Mike Pence and outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

Yet Meadows has remained off the grid in the weeks since special counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on thirty-seven counts for unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida Mar-a-Lago estate after the National Archives repeatedly requested their return.

Speaking to Mitchell, Christie — himself an experienced federal prosecutor — explained that Meadows' radio silence likely indicates that his testimony is crucial to Smith's case into the erstwhile commander-in-chief's allegedly illegal behavior.

"Well, let me move on to, you know, Donald Trump. Mark Meadows, as you pointed out is, as we just pointed out rather, is not commenting. To your knowledge, you were still involved in the campaign up through the election night, really and then into December. Did he encourage the president's extensive efforts to not concede and begin the process of trying to overturn the election?" Mitchell asked.

"I don't know the answer to that question. I don't know the question to answer 'cause really after I denounced Donald Trump on ABC on Election Night, after I did that, I was not involved in any of those meetings anymore. So I don't have any firsthand knowledge to that," replied Christie, who worked on Trump's failed reelection bid.

"But what I will say in watching that video is that looks to me like somebody who's cooperating with the federal government. You know, witnesses, grand jury is secretive for the government. The government cannot reveal things about..." Christie continued until Mitchell interjected.

"But not for the witness," Mitchell said.

"But not for the witness," Christie confirmed. "The witness is told as they leave, 'You don't have to answer any questions or talk about it, but you are free to do so if you like.' The only time you can't do it is when the government has a cooperation agreement with you and they say, 'No talking about this. The only time we wanna hear you talking is when you're on the witness stand.' And that, to me, Mark Meadows looks to me like a federal witness under a cooperation agreement. And I, my guess is that's what we're gonna find out he is."

Watch the exchange below or at this link.

From Your Site Articles