Denied: Mark Meadows Will Face Prosecution in Georgia After Judge Rejects Request to Move Case to Federal Court
Sept. 8 2023, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
A federal judge denied Mark Meadows' request to move his Fulton County criminal case to federal court, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Meadows served as ex-president Donald Trump's chief of staff and was named a co-defendant in DA Fani Willis' indictment over the alleged attempt to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.
After Meadows was shockingly named among the long list of co-defendants in Willis' indictment, his attorneys quickly got to work on efforts to move his case to federal court.
Meadows' attorneys argued that because Trump's ex-chief of staff was acting in accordance with his role as a federal officer following the 2020 election, his case should be moved out of Fulton County and to federal court.
Despite their efforts, Judge Steven C. Jones rejected the claims on Friday. The scathing ruling was centered on the "relatively narrow question" of Meadows acting within the capacity of his federal role.
"Having considered the arguments and evidence, the Court concludes that Meadows has not met his burden," the ruling read in reference to Meadows proving his claims for federal grounds. "Therefore, the Court declines to assume jurisdiction over the State's criminal prosecution of Meadows and Remands the case to Fulton County Superior Court."
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"The court finds that the color of the Office of White House Chief of Staff did not include working with or working for the Trump campaign, except for simply coordinating the President’s schedule, traveling with the President to his campaign events, and redirecting communications to the campaign," the ruling continued.
Judge Jones additionally noted that "engaging in political activities… exceeds the outer limits of the Office of White House Chief of Staff."
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The court's rejection was a major blow to Meadows' defense as he faces charges under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute.
While Meadows cooperated with Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who declined to name him in his election interference indictment of Trump, the ex-Trump staffer must continue with prosecution in Georgia.
Meadows, Trump, and fellow co-defendants, including the ex-president's former attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell, were accused of engaging in a criminal enterprise aimed at keeping Trump in power as president.
Meadows was most notably present for Trump's infamous January 2, 2021, phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the ex-president and current GOP frontrunner told the state official to "find 11,780 votes," the exact number needed to overtake Joe Biden's win in the traditionally red state.