United States President Joe Biden said that former White House official Mark Meadows is “worthy” of being held in contempt by the House of Representatives for not cooperating with the January 6 committee. Meadows failed to appear in a deposition organised by the committee, which is charged with investigating the Capitol insurrection.

“I don’t know enough — just what I have seen, I have not spoken to anyone. It seems to me he is worthy of being held in contempt”, Biden said in a statement, according to reports from CNN.

When asked about the text messages given by Meadows, Biden said that he has not “seen them all”.

Meadows, a close aide of former United States President Donald Trump, was held in contempt by the lower legislative house with 222-209 vote. The late Tuesday vote sent the case to the United States Department of Justice.

Two members of the Republican party — Illinois’ Adam Kinzinger and Wyoming’s Liz Cheney– voted along with the Democrats in the House vote. Both lawmakers also sit on the House Select Committee.

Meadows, who was a former White House chief of staff, was the second individual to be held in contempt by the House of Representatives. Earlier this year, Trump’s political advisor Steve Bannon was held in contempt after he refused to comply with a subpoena deadline.

“History will be written about these times, about the work this committee has undertaken,” said Representative Bennie Thompson, the chairman. “And history will not look upon any of you as a martyr. History will not look upon you as a victim.”

The Justice Department will also be weighing those factors as prosecutors decide whether to move forward with the case. If convicted, Bannon and Meadows could each face up to one year behind bars on each charge.

(With AP inputs)