Trump Team shut down in court as judge orders top aides to testify in Jan. 6 probe
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Mark Meadows
Rejecting former President Donald Trump's claims of executive privilege, a federal judge has ordered Mark Meadows and other top aides from Trump's administration to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the lead up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, ABC News reported.
Trump's lawyers argued against the subpoenas, saying that executive privilege protected Trump's right to keep his communications during his time as president private.
Judge Beryl Howell rejected Trump's claim of executive privilege for several former aides including Mark Meadows, John Ratcliffe, Robert O'Brien, Stephen Miller, and Dan Scavino. The order also included Nick Luna, John McEntee, and Ken Cuccinelli.
As ABC News points out, Trump is likely to appeal the ruling.
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"The DOJ is continuously stepping far outside the standard norms in attempting to destroy the long accepted, long held, Constitutionally based standards of attorney-client privilege and executive privilege," a Trump spokesperson said in a statement. "There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump. The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle."
Special counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump for concealing more than 100 classified documents in his Florida home.
