No rest for Trump ally Meadows in new role defending president during impeachment
Throughout the first three years of President Donald Trump’s presidency, Rep. Mark Meadows has been an unofficial advisor — chatting often with the president, pushing his policies in the House and defending him fiercely on television amid investigations and impeachment.
Named earlier this week to Trump’s eight-member “impeachment team,” Meadows’ unofficial role is now a quasi-official one.
“I am just trying to assist the defense team in the best way I can,” said Meadows, a Republican who represents far-western North Carolina and is not running for reelection in 2020.
That means meetings with Trump’s actual defense team in the morning and during breaks. Long days. Sleepless nights. Lots and lots of television appearances. And a steady stream of tweets to defend Trump and reframe the arguments Democrats are making.
“That’s why the bloodshot eyes,” he told McClatchy on Thursday, the third consecutive day of long impeachment work and the second day that House managers presented their case against Trump. “I’m only sleeping about four hours a day.” The trial will continue next week.
Meadows, a member of the House Oversight Committee which was one of three panels that conducted original impeachment witness interviews, is using that knowledge to help prepare Trump’s lawyers, who did not participate in those committee meetings.
“One of the benefits of being in the room for all 17 witnesses and not only asking questions, but listening to every question asked, seeing the verbal and non-verbal cues is that you have a full context of what was said, what was meant and ultimately being able to share that with the Trump defense team that is making oral arguments is a real benefit,” Meadows said.
“There’s no doubt that they’ve spent untold hours prepping and looking at the record, but there’s only a certain amount of contextual understanding that you get when you’re reading a transcript,” he said.
A White House official said Meadows and other members of the “impeachment team” are advising Trump and his legal team and are providing guidance on the evidence, the trial and the process. The other Republican House members on that team are: Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, John Ratcliffe of Texas, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Debbie Lesko of Arizona, Doug Collins of Georgia and Lee Zeldin and Elise Stefanik of New York.
“It’s an advisory role and certainly one that has not only been welcomed, but I’ve felt like has worked really well,” Meadows said.
Meadows and the others have spent most of the trial in a nearby room off the Senate floor, though he has been on the floor at times, he said. Meadows will not speak on the Senate floor during the trial, the White House said, but instead has taken his defense of the president to the nearby television cameras.
The House is not in session this week.
‘Share the truth’
“Congressman Meadows is in regular contact with the White House and the president’s legal team and is a crucial ally who amplifies the president’s views and the president’s case to the American people,” said a source familiar with his involvement, who added that Meadows has been to the White House at least once in the last week.
The White House counsel’s office and Meadows and his staff are also in touch by phone.
Meadows has made multiple media appearances, a willing interview at a time when many senators are avoiding the press. He went on Fox News on Thursday morning, accusing House Democrats of “intentionally misleading” the American people about Trump’s actions.
“It’s important for us to share the truth,” Meadows told reporters Thursday at the Capitol.
Meadows has been prolific on Twitter, amplifying Republican talking points and dismissing the case being made against the president. At times, he has mocked the Democrats — from everything for their delay in handing over the articles of impeachment to their performance in putting on the trial. Like many Republicans, he has been especially rough on Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the lead impeachment manager.
“Adam Schiff starting off today with a joke about imprisoning Senators came off like a joke written by Jerry Seinfeld but delivered by George Costanza,” Meadows tweeted Thursday morning.
