Federal Judge Rejects Mark Meadows’ Request to Postpone Arrest
In a court order issued on Wednesday, a federal judge in Georgia denied former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ request to postpone his surrender and arrest in Fulton County. The judge, Steve Jones, stated that Meadows’ attempt to move the case to federal court does not support an injunction or temporary stay against District Attorney Fani Willis’ enforcement of the arrest warrant. Meadows’ attorneys had asked the federal court to block Willis from enforcing the warrant while they worked to convince the judge to transfer the case to federal court.
Judge Jones emphasized that the law does not allow federal court interference in the state case at this stage, and therefore, the prosecution of Meadows must continue while the federal court considers the broader request to transfer the case. Meadows, who served as chief of staff in the Trump White House, argued that his case should be moved to federal court because the allegations against him occurred while he was acting in his formal capacity as chief of staff.
Meadows’ attorneys argued that the actions he is alleged to have taken, such as arranging Oval Office meetings and contacting state officials on behalf of the President, are not inherently criminal. They stated that these actions are expected of a Chief of Staff to the President and have less to do with state law than murder charges that have been successfully removed. However, Willis countered by asserting that lawfully arresting Meadows on felony charges does not deprive him of the ability to seek removal or impact the court’s jurisdiction to consider removal.
The court filings also revealed a back-and-forth between Meadows’ attorneys and Willis, with his legal team fighting to delay the deadline set for all 19 defendants charged in the Trump case to surrender and be arrested. Willis asserted that Meadows is no different from any other criminal defendant in the jurisdiction.
Similar to Meadows, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark also attempted to postpone his arrest. However, Judge Jones denied his request as well, stating that the state court retains jurisdiction over the prosecution and the proceedings must continue.
A federal court hearing on the request to move the Meadows case to federal court is scheduled for August 28.
Original Story at www.cbsnews.com – 2023-08-24 01:16:00
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