ACCESS DENIED

Mark Meadows Takes Another L in His Georgia Criminal Case

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones concluded that the former Trump aide failed to show why an emergency stay should be granted.

Mark Meadows just keeps on losing. On Monday, the former White House chief of staff asked U.S. District Judge Steve Jones to pause an order that rejected his attempt to move his Georgia criminal election interference case to federal court. According to court filings, Jones denied the request, writing that Meadows did not sufficiently demonstrate why the stay should have been granted. The rejection is a win for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has been developing an anti-racketeering case for over two years against former President Donald Trump, Meadows, and 17 other co-defendants. The move to a federal court—which Meadows unsuccessfully argued was necessary because the case deals with conduct that was part of his job as a federal government employee—would have bought Meadows more time to appeal the decision. Meadows was indicted along with Trump on Aug. 14 for allegedly violating Georgia’s RICO laws and other charges linked to the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. The trial is scheduled to take place on Oct. 23.