On Friday, a judge rejected former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ plea to transfer his criminal case from Georgia to a federal court.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows (Photo: WFFT)
According to the article from THE WEEK, A Georgia grand jury indicted Meadows, who was a White House chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, along with Trump and 17 others last month for allegedly attempting to tamper with the outcome of the 2020 election. As a federal employee at the time of the alleged crimes, Former White House chief of staff Meadows had claimed that his case should be transferred to federal court.
Former White House chief of staff Meadows’ plea was rejected by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones of Atlanta, who wrote in his decision that the former White House chief of staff was not operating in an official position when Former White House chief of staff allegedly tried to rig the election. Jones went on to say that Former White House chief of staff Meadows had “not shown that the actions that triggered the state’s prosecution [were] related to his federal office,” contending that his “alleged association with post-election activities was not related to his role as White House chief of staff or his executive branch authority.”
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Later, Former White House chief of staff Meadows’ lawyer announced that he will be appealing the decision. Charges for alleged transgressions of Georgia’s anti-racketeering legislation are being brought against the former chief of staff.
According to CBS NEWS, In connection with a phone call in which Trump requested that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “find” the precise number of votes required to beat then-President-elect Joe Biden, Former White House chief of staff is also accused of soliciting an oath breach. Former White House chief of staff Meadows entered a not-guilty plea.
Several other defendants have previously requested that their trials be transferred to federal court, including Trump, who has stated that he is thinking about doing the same. Although Jones made it plain that he will evaluate each of those cases individually, the decision against Former White House chief of staff Meadows may be a warning that the other candidates may find it difficult to fulfill the burden necessary to win removal when their attorneys present their cases before the judge later this month.
Moving to federal court would have the practical effects of expanding the jury pool outside the predominately Democratic Fulton County and preventing the trial from being recorded or shown on television because cameras are not permitted in federal courtrooms. However, because any conviction would still take place under state law, it would not allow Trump, or another president, to grant pardons if he is elected again in 2024.
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