A federal judge on Friday rejected Donald Trump’s claim of executive privilege and ruled that Mark Meadows and other top aides must testify before a grand jury weighing the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and in the Jan. 6 riots, multiple news outlets reported.
Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, was subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith in January. But Trump’s legal team sought to block his testimony under executive privilege.
In a sealed order last week, DC Judge Beryl Howell rejected the defense’s argument, paving the way for Meadows’ testimony, ABC News reported.
In addition to Meadows, Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, White House aide Stephen Miller, and former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino were also ordered to testify, according to the report.
The grand jury convened by Jack Smith is separate from the Manhattan panel that is hearing evidence related to a hush-money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election.
