Alex Jones Avoids J6 Committee Trap, Will Plead 5th and Sue
The select committee investigating January 6th has sprung a rather elaborate trap for their prey, and it took contempt charges against Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows for the rest of their targets to recognize what was happening.
You see, there has yet to be a proper adjudication of the issue of executive privilege for those who were in close contact with Donald Trump in the days leading up to January 6th, as well as during the storming of the Capitol itself. Sure, current President Biden has refused Trump’s request to assert such privilege, but the judicial system has yet to fully explore the ramifications of this. If Bannon and Meadows testified before Congress when subpoenaed, there is a distinct possibility that a later adjudication of the issue could see their testimony land them in hot water.
By refusing to testify, they became targets of contempt charges issued by the committee itself. That false dichotomy could end in trouble no matter what, making it a trap.
Roger Stone, who is no spring chicken when it comes to political messes, recognized this, and chose to testify but plead the fifth…and he’s started a trend.
Pro-Trump broadcaster and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is suing the Jan. 6 select committee to block the panel from obtaining his phone records and compelling his testimony at a deposition next month.
In the suit, Jones says he intends to assert his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination — confirming a statement he made on his show — and that the committee rejected his offer to provide “written responses” to their questions.
The panel, he says, has asked him to appear for a deposition on Jan. 10 and has suggested it is considering offering immunity to compel his testimony. He also says he doesn’t intend to produce documents, claiming his “journalistic activity” is protected under the First Amendment.
The January 6th committee’s days may be numbered, (on account of the presumed loss of a Democratic congressional majority after the 2022 midterms), which means that this gumming up of the process is likely to impact the ability of the group to complete their investigation to any conclusive end.
