A three-judge panel on Monday rejected Mark Meadows’ attempt to transfer his election subversion case in Fulton County, Georgia, to federal court.
The former White House chief of staff’s legal team argued that because the charges stem from his duties in the Trump administration, a federal court should rule on the charges against him.
“Meadows can’t have it both ways. “He cannot take refuge in her testimony about the breadth of his official responsibilities, while he denies her confessions that he understood election activity to be off-limits,” Chief Judge William Pryor wrote in a brutal opinion.
“The fact that he has repeatedly denied having had any role in Trump’s campaign or speaking on his behalf reflects his recognition that such activities were prohibited to him as chief of staff,” he added.
Meadows can appeal the decision.
Pryor was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit by former President George W. Bush.
“We cannot endorse Meadows’ legal opinion that the president’s chief of staff has unlimited authority,” Pryor added.
Mark Meadows has been dealt a serious blow in his attempt to undermine Georgia’s election subversion case. A conservative judge criticized his lawyer’s arguments for transferring the case. AP
Meadows’ team apparently believed the federal court system would be more favorable ground for dismissing the two felony charges brought against him.
If the appeals panel allowed him to transfer the case, his legal team likely would have tried to have the charges dismissed by filing a federal immunity claim that he was simply carrying out his government duties.
Also underlying the effort is the fact that presidential pardons cannot be extended to state convictions, meaning that if President Donald Trump takes back the White House in 2024, he cannot overturn the Fulton County charges.
Donald Trump has also been charged in the Fulton County case. AFP via Getty Images Mark Meadows had his mugshot taken after being booked on the two felony charges. Via REUTERS
The appeals panel ruled 3-0 against Meadows’ attempt to transfer. Pryor was joined by Circuit Judges Robin Rosenbaum, an Obama appointee, and Nancy Abudu, a Biden appointee.
“Ultimately, whatever the chief of staff’s role is with respect to state election administration, that role does not include altering valid election results in favor of a particular candidate,” Pryor added.
It also determined that the federal impeachment statute that Meadows’ team cited “does not apply to former federal officers, and even if it did, the events that gave rise to this criminal action were not related to Meadows’ official duties.”
Meadows is one of at least five defendants who have attempted to take the case to federal court. He is also one of 19 defendants in the Fulton County racketeering case. Five have since pleaded guilty.
Meadows has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Fani Willis began her investigation in 2021 and charged 19 people in her sprawling 2020 election extortion case. AP
If the panel gave the green light to Meadows’ request, it could have ruined Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ case against several of her co-defendants, including former President Donald Trump.
In a separate development on Monday, Trump’s legal team filed a challenge to dismiss the 13-count Fulton County indictment on the grounds that it violated his First Amendment rights.
Meadows has been cooperating with special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the Justice Department’s Capitol riot and the 2020 election case against Trump.
There were rumors that Meadows was granted immunity to testify under oath, but the former chief of staff’s lawyer has disputed that report, saying it “was largely inaccurate.”
The Post has contacted Meadows’ attorney, George Terwilliger III, for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn