A Georgia federal judge ruled Friday that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows can be tried in state court over former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Meadows, one of 18 Trump associates and supporters indicted last month along with the former president, argued that he was charged in connection with actions he took in the course of his official duties, and that federal court was the appropriate place to hear the case.
US District Judge Steve Jones disagreed, writing in a 49-page opinion that Meadows’ official duties “do not include working with or for the Trump campaign, except simply to coordinate the President’s schedule, travel with the President to his campaign events, and redirect communications to the campaign. By that, in accordance with his testimony and federal statutes and regulations, engage in political activity is [sic] beyond the outer limits of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff.”
“Therefore, in accordance with his testimony and federal statutes and regulations, engaging in political activities is [sic] beyond the outer limits of the White House Office of the Chief of Staff,” Jones added.
Meadows, 64, was accused by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of violating Georgia’s anti-extortion law and asking a public figure to violate their oath of office.
Meadows argued that his case in Georgia should be tried in federal court. AP
The last charge was leveled in connection with the now-infamous January 2, 2021 phone call in which Trump and Meadows participated with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In the call, Trump was recorded asking Raffensperger to “find” enough votes in Georgia to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.
“The Constitution does not provide any basis for the executive branch’s involvement with State election and post-election procedures,” Jones wrote, then added that Raffensperger’s calls “exceed activities that fall within the official role of the White House Chief of Staff, such as scheduling the President’s phone calls , observe meetings, and try to wrap up meetings to keep the President on schedule.
“In contrast, Meadows’ participation in the January 2, 2021, call was political in nature and involved the President’s private litigation, both of which are unrelated to the scope of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff.”
The indictment accuses Meadows of participating in eight “overt acts” aimed at furthering Trump’s attempt to stay in power after his loss to Biden. Jones decided that only one of those actions — asking Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) for contact information for Pennsylvania legislative leaders — “arguably” under the official duties of the chief of staff.
Meadows is one of 18 Trump co-defendants in Georgia. AFP via Getty Images
The remaining actions alleged by Meadows — including offering the Trump campaign to pay for expedited signature verification in Fulton County, arranging calls for Trump with investigators in Raffensperger’s office, and traveling to suburban Cobb County to try to observe an audit of the signature match — were not, according to Jones, who found that Meadows did not provide “sufficient evidence that these actions are related to any legitimate purpose of the executive branch.”
Meadows was grilled by attorneys representing the Fulton County DA’s office last week when he testified as part of his effort to move his case to federal court.
He denied that he deviated from his official position at any time.
“Serving the president of the United States — and I want to be clear about this your honor — takes all forms,” he argued.
Meadows surrendered to Fulton County authorities last month after an emergency motion to prevent his arrest was denied. AP
“I’m going to try to be aware of everything that’s going on,” Meadows insisted. “I was never paid by the campaign, never supervised the campaign. They have their own structure.”
Jones found Meadows’ testimony unpersuasive, writing in his decision that “When questioned about the scope of his authority, Meadows was unable to explain the limits of his authority, other than his inability to be president or work on behalf of the campaign. “
“The court found that Meadows did not adequately convey the limits of his authority,” Jones wrote.
Meadows is one of five Trump co-defendants who have sought to move their cases to federal court.
Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, Georgia state Senator Shawn Still and former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham have all made similar appeals to the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Trump is also expected to file a motion before the end of the month to move his case.
His attorney, Steven Sadow, told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Thursday that Trump “could seek removal of his prosecution to federal court.”
There was no immediate comment from Meadows on the decision, but Jones’ decision is likely to be appealed.
Meadows’ attorney did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
