Mark Meadows tried valiantly to get his Georgia state level RICO case moved to the federal court system. After a passionate hearing on Friday in front of a panel of appeals court judges that did not seem to be on his side, a ruling was quickly issued on Monday denying his request.
WOMP WOMP.
Even if Donald Trump wins the election in 2024 (shudder), he can't save Meadows'. If he is in prison, he is staying there regardless of who is in the Oval Office. No pardon can save him now. And with D.A. Fani Willis vowing to not offer a plea deal to Trump, Meadows or Giuliani, it is all but certain that Meadows is going to have to get on his hands and knees and beg for a plea deal with leniency.
Read the ruling here.
The basis for the Appeals Court denial is rooted on 2 grounds:
1. Removal does not apply to former officials
2. Charges against Meadows did not involve his "official" duties
Meadows is not the only defendant in this case who is trying to move to federal court, although he was the highest up in terms of status and most likely to get approved, if at all. With his denial finalized, the chances of the other 4 defendants (Jeff Clark and others) seeking a change of venue being successful has dwindled substantially.
The speed in which the decision was finalized was unusually fast, which shows just how serious the 3 judges took it. A one business day turnaround shows that there was little internal dispute about which was they needed to rule. It was a 3-0 ruling, so not even one judge bought Meadows excuses.
Some notable quotes:
“We cannot rubberstamp Meadows’ legal opinion that the president’s chief of staff has unfettered authority."
In regards to Meadows call to try to strong arm Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger into changing the outcome of the election? They felt that this fell outside of Meadows official duties and that it "reflected a clear attempt to further Trump’s ‘private litigation interests" adding that "Meadows cannot point to any authority for influencing state officials with allegations of election fraud. 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.”
Ah, the smell of justice on a Monday evening. It is a beautiful thing.
