Trump administration officials who defied subpoenas issued by the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot are seeking to stall until the midterms, when Republicans hope to take control of Congress, a former Trump administration aide said Sunday.
Olivia Troye, an ex-aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, made that claim during an appearance on MSNBC, as former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently defied subpoenas from the select committee.
She alleged members of the Trump administration have used this strategy in the past.
"I do think that these are the loyalists, the truest of the most devout. And I think that they are going to stall," Troye, who now serves as the director of the Republican Accountability Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, said. "They have done this repeatedly in the past in situations where they are undermining the rule of law. Yet they're using the rule of law in the court to sort of stall the process and wait it out."
She added: "I think that if they can sort of slow roll this along the way and hope that they regain power in the midterms and that this stalls and waits until then, then I think that is their plan all along."
When asked if these officials would employ this strategy to protect themselves or former President Donald Trump, Troye said she believes it is a "mix of both," saying they are loyal to Trump "at whatever cost."
"I think all of these people think, 'these are the coattails we've decided to ride' unfortunately," she said.
The Department of Justice announced Friday that Bannon was charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents to the committee. He could face up to one year in jail for each count.
Bannon has refused to cooperate with lawmakers during the investigation, arguing that executive privilege protects him from having to turn over records.
Also on Friday, Meadows did not show up at his scheduled deposition for the committee after U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who chairs the committee, threatened legal action in a letter to Meadows' attorney Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, ex-White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said on CNN Saturday that Trump would try to benefit from his officials being subpoenaed.
"The [former] president is going to say we're going to fund-raise off of this, don't worry, patriots are going to step up. This is going to make everybody excited for 2022 and then the select committee will go away," Grisham claimed.
Others believe that Bannon's indictment could compel former Trump officials to comply with the subpoenas. Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, said on MSNBC Friday that Meadows would ultimately come forward and cooperate.
"The Department has shown that there is no other path," he said. "Maybe Mark Meadows thought that the years of lawlessness would continue under Joe Biden. Well, they're not."
Newsweek reached out to Thompson's office for comment Sunday afternoon but had not heard back by publication. This story will be updated with any response.
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November 15, 2021 at 04:50AM
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1/6 Subpoena Defiers Aim to 'Wait It Out' Until Midterms: Former Trump Admin Aide - Newsweek
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