Washington DC - The House has found former President Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The case will be passed to the Justice Department, which can indict Meadows for contempt of Congress.

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack had unanimously adopted a report on Monday evening accusing Meadows of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Meadows (62) had initially agreed to attend a deposition with the select committee last week, but then refused to appear.

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The select committee considers Meadows an important witness, as he stayed in the White House during the storming of the Capitol and received was in contact with a number of prominent Republican operatives and prominent conservative figures during the attack.

The House committee is tasked with investigating the circumstances of the January 6 attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol, the seat of the US Congress in Washington.

At least five people died during the events, including a police officer. Members of the Capitol police force sustained injuries.

Meadows is the first-ever White House chief of staff to face criminal contempt proceedings. He and his lawyers are arguing that Congress can't force him to testify as long as he's covered by the executive privilege still claimed by Trump.

The January 6 committee disagrees. "The select committee's report referring Mr. Meadows for criminal contempt charges is clear and compelling," Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democratic representative from Mississippi, said on Tuesday.

"As White House chief of staff, Mr. Meadows played a role in or was witness to key events leading up to and including the January 6th assault on the United States Capitol."