Topline
A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a bid from former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows to delay his imminent arrest in Fulton County, Georgia, after Meadows and several other Trump allies-turned-defendants pushed for a federal trial in a broad Georgia election interference case that ensnared former President Donald Trump.
Mark Meadows, former White House Chief of Staff to former President Donald Trump, requested a … [+]
Key Facts
Meadows’ attorney, John Moran, had requested an emergency order preventing Meadows’ arrest before a hearing next week, claiming in a court filing immediate relief is necessary to “prevent a state arrest that would irreparably deprive” him of protection through the federal Supremacy Clause, which establishes that federal law takes precedence over state laws.
Meadows had also asked to move the case to federal court last week, after Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted in Georgia over alleged efforts to overturn the results of the election.
It joins several other requests to shift the case to federal court: Former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, and David Shafer, one of Georgia’s so-called fake electors following the 2020 presidential election, both asked for an immediate pause on the legal proceedings and for the case to be moved to the federal system.
Meadows’ request came hours after John Eastman, the former Trump attorney who prosecutors allege was the mastermind behind former President Donald Trump’s fake electors legal strategy to overturn the results of the 2020 election, confirmed on Tuesday he will turn himself in to authorities, making Eastman the second of Trump’s co-defendants in the Fulton County, Georgia, election interference case to surrender.
Contra
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis rejected Meadows’ request to delay his arrest, arguing she gave defendants two weeks to surrender: “your client is no different than any other criminal defendant in this jurisdiction.” Willis added: “The two weeks was a tremendous courtesy.”
Tangent
Eastman said he would surrender “to an indictment that should never should have been brought” in a blog post with law office Burnham & Gorokhov, PLLC, saying his legal team will “vigorously contest every count of the indictment in which I am named,” as well as every other count listed in the indictment. Eastman was the second of Trump’s co-defendants to surrender, following Scott Hall, a bail bondsman, who surrendered to authorities in Fulton County on Tuesday morning, after reaching an agreement to post a $10,000 bond.
What To Watch For
Trump, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the aftermath of his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden and who has excoriated prosecutors for bringing charges, is expected to surrender on Thursday.
Further Reading
First Trump Co-Defendant Surrenders In Georgia Election Case (Forbes)
Giuliani, Powell, And Trump’s Other Attorneys Criminally Charged — After Years Of Efforts To Punish Them For 2020 Election Roles (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/08/23/judge-denies-ex-trump-aide-mark-meadows-bid-to-stop-his-arrest-in-georgia-election-case/