Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows asks federal court for Georgia charges to be dismissed
From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows has asked a federal court to order all charges against him brought by Fulton County, Georgia, prosecutors last week to be dismissed, since he says the charges relate to his then-role in the federal government.
In a weekend filing, Meadows argues he should have immunity from the state’s 2020 election interference criminal case because he was carrying out his duties as a federal official working for then-President Donald Trump. The filing argues that his actions arose only because he was serving Trump as a close White House adviser.
It and earlier filings showcase how aggressively Meadows appears to be fighting for his own protections, highlighting his separation from Trump. CNN previously reported Meadows’ lawyers cut off coordination with Trump’s attorneys months ago, and sources say they are maintaining the split.
Meadows’ attorneys point out in the Saturday filing that he is not accused of violating any federal law in the special counsel’s federal indictment against Trump – nor is he alluded to as a co-conspirator.
In the Trump White House, “Mr. Meadows served a critically important advice-and-assist function that has been firmly entrenched in federal law for nearly 100 years,” his attorneys wrote to a judge Saturday about the Georgia charges. “The conduct charged here falls squarely within the scope of Mr. Meadows’s duties as Chief of Staff and the federal policy underlying that role.”
Georgia prosecutors accuse Meadows of connecting with officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as with others in the White House, on Trump’s behalf to discuss the election and Electoral College certification of the presidency. That included arranging phone calls between Trump and Georgia officials after the election. Meadows has not yet appeared before a court to enter a plea.
Trump is expected to surrender to Fulton County jail on Thursday or Friday
From CNN's Ryan Young and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender himself to the Fulton County jail at the end of this week – on Thursday or Friday, a senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the surrender told CNN.
Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged last week in connection with a plot to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia. After the 41-count indictment was unsealed, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set an August 25 deadline for their surrender.
Negotiations between Trump’s lawyers and Willis’ prosecutors are expected to continue into this week, ahead of the surrender deadline. The exact timing of Trump’s surrender remains unclear.
Trump’s expected surrender in Georgia comes the same week as the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The former president, however, is planning to skip the event and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson, multiple sources familiar with his plans told CNN. Trump confirmed Sunday he will not participate in the first Republican primary debate this week.
The former president now faces a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases. His surrender and arraignment in Georgia are expected to look different from those in his previous three criminal cases. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has previously suggested he wants to treat Trump and the others named in the indictment similar to any other defendant. This could mean that they would have mugshots taken and be fingerprinted.
According to the indictment, Trump is accused of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” that was part of a broad conspiracy to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat. The group of defendants named in the Georgia indictment includes former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The US Secret Service has been onsite at the Fulton County Jail for the last several weeks working with the Fulton County Sheriff Department and the city of Atlanta in planning for the former president’s surrender, a USSS spokesperson told CNN.
The charges: In a 41-count indictment unsealed last week, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis accused Trump of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” that was part of a broad criminal conspiracy to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat in the state. The group of defendants includes former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Fourth indictment: Trump now faces 91 charges across four separate criminal cases at the same time he’s running for president in 2024. He denies any wrongdoing and slams the cases as politically motivated.
Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows has asked a federal court to order all charges against him brought by Fulton County, Georgia, prosecutors last week to be dismissed, since he says the charges relate to his then-role in the federal government.
In a weekend filing, Meadows argues he should have immunity from the state’s 2020 election interference criminal case because he was carrying out his duties as a federal official working for then-President Donald Trump. The filing argues that his actions arose only because he was serving Trump as a close White House adviser.
It and earlier filings showcase how aggressively Meadows appears to be fighting for his own protections, highlighting his separation from Trump. CNN previously reported Meadows’ lawyers cut off coordination with Trump’s attorneys months ago, and sources say they are maintaining the split.
Meadows’ attorneys point out in the Saturday filing that he is not accused of violating any federal law in the special counsel’s federal indictment against Trump – nor is he alluded to as a co-conspirator.
In the Trump White House, “Mr. Meadows served a critically important advice-and-assist function that has been firmly entrenched in federal law for nearly 100 years,” his attorneys wrote to a judge Saturday about the Georgia charges. “The conduct charged here falls squarely within the scope of Mr. Meadows’s duties as Chief of Staff and the federal policy underlying that role.”
Georgia prosecutors accuse Meadows of connecting with officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as with others in the White House, on Trump’s behalf to discuss the election and Electoral College certification of the presidency. That included arranging phone calls between Trump and Georgia officials after the election. Meadows has not yet appeared before a court to enter a plea.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender himself to the Fulton County jail at the end of this week – on Thursday or Friday, a senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the surrender told CNN.
Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged last week in connection with a plot to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia. After the 41-count indictment was unsealed, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set an August 25 deadline for their surrender.
Negotiations between Trump’s lawyers and Willis’ prosecutors are expected to continue into this week, ahead of the surrender deadline. The exact timing of Trump’s surrender remains unclear.
Trump’s expected surrender in Georgia comes the same week as the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The former president, however, is planning to skip the event and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson, multiple sources familiar with his plans told CNN. Trump confirmed Sunday he will not participate in the first Republican primary debate this week.
The former president now faces a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases. His surrender and arraignment in Georgia are expected to look different from those in his previous three criminal cases. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has previously suggested he wants to treat Trump and the others named in the indictment similar to any other defendant. This could mean that they would have mugshots taken and be fingerprinted.
According to the indictment, Trump is accused of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” that was part of a broad conspiracy to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat. The group of defendants named in the Georgia indictment includes former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The US Secret Service has been onsite at the Fulton County Jail for the last several weeks working with the Fulton County Sheriff Department and the city of Atlanta in planning for the former president’s surrender, a USSS spokesperson told CNN.
