These are the witnesses the Jan 6 committee has held in contempt

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol began a series of public hearings on Thursday, thrusting the evidence it has recovered over the past year and a half into the spotlight.

The committee aims to prove that former President Trump is accountable for the violence that occurred during the insurrection, which led to the deaths of five police officers and injured many others. However, the lawmakers investigating Jan. 6 have failed to obtain all relevant information due to the refusal of some Trump allies to turn over records to the committee.

Four members of Trump’s former administration have been subpoenaed and refused to release information, leading the committee to hold them in contempt until they yield to the orders.

Here are the four witnesses the Jan. 6 committee has held in contempt:

Former Trump aide Pete Navarro

Former trade adviser Pete Navarro was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt for Congress at the beginning of June, after the Jan. 6 select committee voted to hold him in contempt two months ago for a refusal to comply with their subpoena.

“That committee is a sham committee that doesn’t have the power to issue subpoenas,” Navarro said before a panel of federal judges. “They’ve basically weaponized their investigatory powers in a way which violates separation of powers.”

The Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed Navarro in February for documents related to Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, of which Navarro was a proponent.

Navarro claimed, along with Trump, that Trump’s election loss was caused by voter fraud. The committee sought information about a claim by Navarro that over 100 lawmakers agreed with efforts to overturn the election results, which Navarro did not provide.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) called on Navarro to release the information, especially because he had already discussed issues surrounding Jan. 6 in his book, interviews and a podcast, among other outlets.

After Navarro chose not to submit information for two months, the House voted to hold him in contempt in April.

Navarro is the second uncooperative witness to face charges under the Department of Justice, despite three others being referred to the department by House vote.

If Navarro is convicted, he may face up to a year in prison and fines of $100,000 for each count.

Former Trump deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino

The ex-president’s deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino was held in contempt alongside Navarro in April after a House vote of 220-203. 

Republicans such as Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) pushed back on the decision. Banks said, “Contempt is not enforcement; it’s punishment. Contempt won’t get the committee any information. Only the court can do that. But they don’t want to go to the judiciary. They don’t want neutral arbitration. They want political punishment.”

Scavino, who spent time with Trump on Jan. 6 and promoted the rally in favor of overturning the election, said he would not be able to speak with or share records with the Jan. 6 committee because of executive privilege.

A letter from Trump’s attorney specifically mentioned Scavino in a letter discussing executive privilege concerns.

The Justice Department announced earlier this month that it would not charge Scavino for his refusal to cooperate with the Jan. 6 investigation, even as it did charge fellow Trump ally Navarro.

Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows

The Justice Department also said that it will not charge Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows for his lack of cooperation with the Jan. 6 committee.

Meadows provided the committee with thousands of pages of correspondence between himself and other Republican figures, including text messages and emails.

Most prominently, Meadows texted back and forth with Trump’s son and political ally, Donald Trump Jr.

“He’s got to condemn this shit ASAP,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote to Meadows, adding that “It has gone too far and gotten out of hand.”

Meadows responded that he agreed with Donald Trump Jr. rather than his father and that he was “pushing it hard,” referring to condemnation of the actions of Jan. 6 rioters.

However, Meadows refused to testify before the committee, leading to a House vote to hold him in contempt in December.

Meadows chose not to act as a witness in the investigation because of Trump’s declarations of executive privilege implicating his former chief of staff.

Former Trump chief strategist Stephen Bannon

Former Trump strategist Stephen Bannon was the first to be indicted by a federal jury after the House, including all Democrats and nine Republicans, voted to hold him in contempt in October.

Bannon was indicted in November, shortly after the vote, and is scheduled to begin trial on July 18.

Bannon has said he will plead not guilty in the trial, which, if he is convicted, could place him in jail for up to two years and under fines of up to $200,000 for both charges put together.

“I’m telling you right now, this is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. … We’re going on the offense,” Bannon said after his indictment.

In April, a judge ruled that Bannon cannot use the argument that he was following his lawyer’s advice when ignoring the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena. Bannon had previously relied on this argument and was likely to do so in July apart from the ruling.