Appeals Court Denies Ex-Trump Chief Of Staff Mark Meadows’ Attempt To Move His Georgia Election Fraud Case Out Of State Court

A federal appeals court has rejected Mark Meadows’ bid to move his Georgia election interference case out of state court.

The court ruled that Meadows, who served as chief of staff under Donald Trump, will have to stand trial in Atlanta. While Meadows could appeal his ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, the case is still likely to be held in Fulton County.

Meadows thought he would get a more favorable jury pool in federal court and argued that his role as chief of staff allowed him to do almost anything on Trump’s behalf.

Meadow’s appeal was heard by Chief Judge William Pryor and Circuit Judges Robin Rosenbaum and Nancy Abudu. All three voted to reject his plea.

“Meadows cannot point to any authority for influencing state officials with allegations of election fraud,” Pryor wrote regarding his decision. “At bottom, whatever the chief of staff’s role with respect to state election administration, that role does not include altering valid election results in favor of a particular candidate.”

“Meadows cannot have it both ways,” he continued. “He cannot shelter behind testimony about the breadth of his official responsibilities, while disclaiming his admissions that he understood electioneering activity to be out of bounds. That he repeatedly denied having any role in, or speaking on behalf of, the Trump campaign, reflects his recognition that such activities were forbidden to him as chief of staff.”

In November, Meadow’s publisher sued him for making false claims about election fraud in his memoir.

Cassidy Hutchinson, Meadow’s top assistant, wrote in her book that his White House office “smelled like a bonfire” due to his habit of burning documents there.