Former Trump chief of staff subpoenaed by special counsel in Jan. 6 investigation: CNN

Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows has been subpoenaed by the special counsel who is investigating former President Trump and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, according to CNN.

Meadows was subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith sometime in January, according to CNN’s report. Smith is seeking documents and testimony related to the Jan. 6 riot.

The subpoena of Meadows follows the special counsel’s subpoena of former Vice President Mike Pence earlier this month. Smith, who is also overseeing the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, has not had a rosy relationship with officials who were in Trump’s orbit.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pence has vowed to fight the subpoena from the DOJ, saying he was prepared to go to the Supreme Court if it was necessary.

“I’m going to fight the Biden DOJ’s subpoena for me to appear before the grand jury because I believe it’s unconstitutional, and it’s unprecedented,” Pence told reporters after an event in Iowa on Wednesday.

Meadows was one of the officials who was closest to Trump on Jan. 6, given that he was with the then-president in the Oval Office as rioters entered the Capitol. But the subpoena of Meadows may set up a clash between the former Trump chief of staff and the Justice Department, as he has claimed executive privilege in probes of Trump in the past.