Testimony by Former Trump Chief of Staff Adds New Detail to Post-Election Investigations

WASHINGTON — Newly reported details about cooperation by Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff to Donald J. Trump, have renewed attention on ongoing investigations into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, underscoring the central role played by senior aides in the period following Mr. Trump’s defeat.

According to accounts cited by multiple news organizations, Mr. Meadows has provided testimony to federal investigators describing internal discussions within the Trump White House after the election. His statements, given under oath as part of cooperation with prosecutors, shed light on what senior officials understood about the outcome of the vote and the absence of evidence supporting claims of widespread fraud.

Mr. Meadows, who served as chief of staff during the final year of the Trump administration, was present for many of the most consequential conversations surrounding attempts to challenge the election results. Investigators have viewed his account as significant because of his proximity to the former president and his involvement in coordinating communications with campaign lawyers, state officials and members of the Justice Department.

People familiar with the matter say Mr. Meadows told investigators that by mid-December 2020, efforts by the Trump legal team to substantiate allegations of election fraud had failed to produce credible evidence. He also described warnings delivered to Mr. Trump by White House lawyers, Justice Department officials and campaign advisers that the claims were unsupported and that legal challenges were unlikely to succeed.

Among the episodes addressed in Mr. Meadows’s testimony was a January 2, 2021, phone call between Mr. Trump and Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, during which the former president urged state officials to revisit vote totals. The call, which was recorded and later made public, has been a focal point of both federal and state inquiries. Mr. Meadows helped arrange the conversation and participated in it, according to investigators.

Legal analysts note that testimony from senior aides can be particularly influential in complex investigations because it provides context about intent and decision-making at the highest levels. Prosecutors often rely on such accounts to establish what defendants knew at specific moments and how they responded to information provided by advisers.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to his post-election actions and has characterized investigations into his conduct as politically motivated. His representatives have argued that he sincerely believed the election was flawed and that his efforts were aimed at ensuring electoral integrity.

The developments involving Mr. Meadows intersect with findings previously outlined by Special Counsel Jack Smith, whose investigation concluded that evidence existed to support criminal charges related to efforts to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election. Mr. Smith has said his work relied in part on testimony from Republicans and former Trump allies who chose to cooperate with investigators.

Because of constitutional and procedural considerations, no immediate legal consequences flow from the newly reported testimony alone. Nonetheless, experts emphasize that sworn statements and documentary evidence provided during investigations are preserved and may shape future prosecutorial decisions.

As inquiries into the events surrounding January 6 continue to influence American politics, Mr. Meadows’s cooperation highlights the enduring significance of insider testimony in efforts to understand — and potentially adjudicate — one of the most consequential episodes in modern U.S. history.