Rick Perry Dragged After Text Message He Denied Sending To Mark Meadows Was Signed 'Rick Perry'

Former Trump administration Energy Secretary Rick Perry was mocked after a text message he denied sending to former President Donald Trump's White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was made public.

A spokesperson for Perry—a former Republican governor of Texas—denied he was the “author of the text,” but the text in question ended with "Rick Perry," indicating he signed it.

The text, dated November 7, 2020, was part of a collection of 2,319 text messages that Meadows received and sent between Election Day 2020 and January 20, 2021, the day of Democratic President Joe Biden's win.

In it, Perry claims to have evidence to back up Trump's bogus claims of election fraud, in particular data that can “clearly show where the fraud was committed.”

The full text reads as follows:

We have the data driven program that can clearly show where the fraud was committed. This is the silver bullet.”Pam Biondi has seen and agrees!!” Rick Perry

Perry's text signals his embrace of the "Big Lie" that the 2020 general election had been stolen, even as allegations of election fraud have fallen apart in courtrooms and in the wake of numerous audits affirming that the election was both free and fair.

Nor was this the only time Perry messaged Meadows.

According to CNN, Perry contacted Meadows twice in December 2020 to connect him with Jeffrey Clark, a former Department of Justice (DOJ) official who Trump tried unsuccessfully to install as head of the agency when acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen refused to lend credence to Trump's false claims of fraud.

Meadows does not appear to have contacted Clark at all despite Perry's insistence, though CNN notes that Meadows "withheld more than 1,000 messages from the committee on claims of privilege," per the House Select Committee's filing.

Perry has been harshly criticized since his signed text was released and the extent of his involvement in the effort to overturn the election became clearer.

Messages Meadows sent and received have been front and center since the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the January 6 insurrection began to make them public.

Meadows previously accused the House committee of "leaking" the texts, telling the far-right news outlet Newsmax that they are currently being "weaponized" as part of a smear campaign against him.

The House of Representatives has voted that Meadows be charged with contempt of Congress after he refused to cooperate with the investigation, following the House committee's recommendation.