“Et tu, Brute?” One can hardly expect that former President Donald Trump’s reaction to the news that his onetime White House chief of staff and arguably closest ally would testify before a grand jury was anything resembling the words uttered by Julius Caesar (at least in the version told by William Shakespeare).
Yet, it was no less as shocking when it was announced on Tuesday that Mark Meadows had secured an immunity deal with special counsel Jack Smith, and has already given testimony before a grand jury to hear evidence in the case on no less than three separate occasions.
According to reports, Meadows told the grand jury that he repeatedly told the former president that his claims of widespread voter fraud were baseless.
“Obviously we didn’t win,” a source quoted Meadows as telling Smith’s team in his testimony.
Trump Was Being Dishonest!
More importantly, such testimony counters a claim Trump has repeated since losing the election, while Meadows further told investigators that Trump was simply being “dishonest” with voters when he proclaimed victory on election night shortly after the polls closed in 2020.
The terms of Meadows’ deal with prosecutors are unknown, but CNN reported that similar deals traditionally allow a person with knowledge about an ongoing investigation immunity from prosecution if they cooperate fully with investigators, including by giving testimony under oath. Meadow’s legal team has yet to comment.
The special counsel’s office also declined to comment.
Setting the Record Straight… Again
Meadows’ testimony to the grand jury would seem to contradict what he wrote in his book “The Chief’s Chief” about the election, in which wrote that the election was “stolen” and “rigged,” while he claimed the “liberal media” ignored “actual evidence of fraud, right there in plains sight for anyone to access and analyze.”
The former White House chief of staff continued to push the narrative that the election was stolen while promoting his book on right-wing media in November 2021.
Meadows and The Art of the Deal
It has been noted that Meadows, who served as the 29th White House Chief of Staff from March 31, 2020, to January 20, 2021, has not been listed as an unindicted co-conspirator along with six others.
TheHill.com reported that fact has fueled speculation that Meadows may have been granted immunity.
However, Meadows is among the 19 individuals – including former President Trump – who have been charged in a sweeping election interference case in Georgia.
Meadows, who is the first White House chief of staff since the Watergate scandal and the first former member of Congress to have been held in contempt of Congress, was also asked about Trump’s handling of classified information in front of the grand jury. It remains clear at this point whether his deal with prosecutors extends into the classified documents investigation.
Former President Trump has previously described Meadows as a “special friend” and “a great chief of staff – as good as it gets.” It will be interesting to see whether Trump revises his opinion of Meadows as easily as Meadows revised his involvement in the 2020 election fraud claims.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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