CNN has obtained 2,319 text messages—sent between the 2020 election and the days following the Capitol attack—that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has handed over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots. On Jan. 6, messages poured in from Republican Reps. Jim Jordan (OH), William Timmons (SC), and Barry Loudermilk (GA) calling for Trump to “stop this ASAP.” Donald Trump Jr. likewise asked Meadows to intervene with the president: “He’s got to condem this shit. Asap. The captiol police tweet is not enough.” A frantic Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) also texted Meadows: “Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn’t the way to solve anything.” The next day she followed up, suggesting the insurgents had been “Antifa.” A week later, she messaged Meadows that “several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law...I just wanted you to tell him.” Collectively, the messages confirm Meadow’s role as a central figure in schemes to stop President Joe Biden’s certification. In one message to Jordan on Jan. 6, Meadows confirmed that he had “pushed” for Vice President Mike Pence to toss out electoral votes that are “unconstitutional.”
