One legal expert told Insider the co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump are facing a prisoner’s dillemma.
Mark Meadows’ latest court flop increases the pressure facing the co-defendants charged alongside Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case to flip on the former President and cooperate with the prosecution, one former federal prosecutor told Insider.
In a Friday ruling, US District Court Judge Steve Jones denied Meadows’ bid to move the prosecution against him to federal court.
In his ruling, Jones argued that when Meadows urged Georgia’s secretary of state to « find » enough votes to declare Trump the winner of the state in the 2020 election, his behavior fell outside the scope of his official duties of White House Chief of Staff and, thus, the prosecution against him should continue in Georgia state court.
« Meadows’s participation on the January 2, 2021 call was political in nature and involved the President’s private litigation, neither of which are related to the scope of the Office of White House Chief of Staff, » Jones wrote in his ruling, which Meadows’ legal team promptly appealed.
« The Court finds that these contributions to the phone call with Secretary Raffensperger went beyond those activities that are within the official role of White House Chief of Staff, such as scheduling the President’s phone calls, observing meetings, and attempting to wrap up meetings in order to keep the President on schedule, » Jones continued.
