Jan. 6 Committee to 'Move Very Quickly' in Referring Meadows for Criminal Contempt - Schiff

Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), a member of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, said on Sunday that the committee could soon refer former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for criminal contempt.

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Schiff spoke on the struggles the committee has faced, especially in regards to issued subpoenas against officials who took part in the Trump administration.

Meadows and Trump ally Steve Bannon, both deemed key witnesses in the deadly January 6 Capitol riot, have refused to cooperate with the committee’s investigation. Bannon has already been indicted on charges of criminal contempt, and Meadows could soon be facing charges himself.

“I'm confident we'll move very quickly with respect to Mr. Meadows also, but we want to make sure that we have the strongest possible case to present to the Justice Department and for the Justice Department to present to a grand jury," Meadows remarked during his weekend appearance.

"But when ultimately witnesses decide, as Meadows has, that they're not even going to bother showing up, that they have that much contempt for the law, then it pretty much forces our hand and we'll move quickly."

The January 6 committee appears to be using contempt of Congress charges only as a last resort.

When asked if he would consider limited immunity for testimony, Schiff remarked that it would “have to be made on a case by case basis."

"I certainly wouldn’t want to prevent the Justice Department from prosecuting people who committed criminal conduct, for example on January 6, by giving them immunity to testify before our committee,” he said.

With Bannon set to turn himself in on Monday, the January 6 committee will get its first response to the effectiveness of filing criminal charges as a means of securing evidence and testimony.

Schiff's Sunday commentary comes days after the House panel warned that a no-show would lead to him being found in contempt of Congress after he refused to appear for his Friday deposition.