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A federal judge on Friday denied former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ request to move his charges of election interference in the 2020 Georgia election to federal court jurisdiction.
Meadows’ role in efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 Georgia election fell outside the scope of his official duties, so his case should remain in state court, the judge said.
“The Court finds that Meadows has failed to establish that the actions that triggered the State’s prosecution were related to his federal charge,” U.S. District Judge Steve Jones wrote in his decision, stressing that he was not ruling on the right of no other defendant to have the case against him passed to the federal system, according to Politico.
Jones, a appointee of former President Barack Obama, concluded that Meadows was not acting within the scope of his White House employment when he arranged a phone call on January 2, 2021, in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. , to “find” enough votes to declare him the winner in that state.
Other actions Meadows took, as described in the grand jury indictment unsealed last month, they were equally outside their official dutiessaid the judge.
“Meadows’ involvement in the January 2, 2021 call was political in nature and involved the President’s private litigation, none of which is related to the scope of the White House Office of the Chief of Staff,” Jones wrote.
“The Court finds that these contributions to the phone call with Secretary Raffensperger went beyond those activities that are within the official role of the White House Chief of Staff, such as scheduling the President’s phone calls, observing meetings, and attempting to conclude the meetings in order to keep the President within the schedule,” said the federal judge.
In determining that Meadows acted outside the scope of his duties, Jones concluded that Meadows is not eligible for the so-called “recall”a procedure under federal law that allows federal officials to transfer a case from state court to federal court if the case is based on their official acts.
Meadows’ lawyers had said they hoped to move the case to federal court.l as a step prior to arguing that the case against you should be dismissed on the grounds that, as a former federal officer, he has immunity from charges related to his duties.
Friday’s order is the latest development in an increasingly complicated effort by Fulton County Attorney Fani Willis to prosecute 19 people, including former President Donald Trump, allegedly involved in a broad conspiracy to overturn the election results. 2020 presidential elections in Georgia.
The ruling against Meadows has significant implications for Trump and the 18 co-defendants in Georgia’s sprawling 2020 election extortion case because Meadows was the first of five defendants who have already filed motions to move the case to federal court, and is expected to let Trump do it too.
With information from CNN and Politico
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