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Mark Meadows surrenders, granted $100,000 bond in Trump election lawsuit.

Former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows ⁤Surrenders in Georgia Election Case

Mark Meadows, former chief ⁣of staff to the president, surrendered on ⁤Aug. 24 at⁣ the ‍Fulton County jail and ‍was released on $100,000 bond, according to jail records.

Mr. Meadows’s attorneys⁢ had made​ attempts to prevent ‍the arrest: a day after the ‍Aug.​ 14 indictment naming Mr. Meadows alongside former ​President Donald Trump and 17 other defendants, they filed a notice⁢ of removal‌ to ​move‍ the case​ from ⁤state to federal court. An⁣ Aug. 28 hearing was ordered⁢ the day after.

The Georgia ‍case had been brought by Fulton County District Attorney against the 19 defendants for⁤ violating the state’s Racketeer ⁢Influenced and Corrupt ⁤Organizations ‍(RICO) Act when they acted to challenge the 2020 election ​results⁣ in what Ms. Willis called a “criminal‍ racketeering enterprise.” ‍The indictment alleges the defendants knowingly committed false and​ fraudulent deeds ‌while ‍believing President⁣ Trump had actually lost reelection.

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She gave the ‍defendants ⁣until noon on Aug. 25 to surrender‍ voluntarily or face arrest.

Mr. Meadows was charged with two counts; in addition to ⁣racketeering, he was accused of “unlawfully soliciting, requesting, and⁢ importuning” Georgia Secretary ‌of State Brad‌ Raffensperger to violate his oath of office during a phone call where President‍ Trump asked about the‌ state’s votes and asked Mr. Raffensperger to investigate election ⁤fraud.

Mr. Meadows argues that ‍all of his actions were taken⁢ as a federal official and that the actions⁢ listed in the indictment⁢ were things one “would expect a Chief‍ of Staff to‍ the President of ‍the United ​States to do.” The removal to federal court would have also dismissed the case against him, under the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution.

On‍ Aug. 18, ​Mr. Meadows’s lawyers filed a motion to⁣ dismiss all ⁤charges against him based on supremacy clause immunity.‌ Federal law precedes state‌ laws and‌ courts, and ‍precedents have ruled that federal officers conducting ⁢official‌ duties do not⁣ have to consider state law and⁣ that cases against federal officers should be tried in federal court.

Meanwhile, ​Mr. Meadows’s lawyers sent several rounds of communications to Ms. Willis’s office, which they later submitted ⁣to court. The attorneys had requested to ⁣meet earlier than Monday,‍ Aug. 28 to discuss the⁣ case removal, and Ms. Willis’s office said that would not ⁤be possible.⁣ Then,⁣ they requested the arrest deadline be delayed for their client until after the‍ Aug. 28 hearing on his case removal, with the expectation that ⁣no arrest would⁤ be necessary once the⁢ case had been removed.

Ms. Willis refused,​ responding that Mr. Meadows would be ‍treated like any other criminal defendant.

“We both know that ⁤is simply not true,” attorney John Moran ⁢wrote in response.

They then filed⁣ an emergency motion in court, requesting an immediate resolution. ​Ms. Willis ​was given an Aug.⁢ 23 deadline to respond, in which she called Mr. Meadows’s motion “baseless” and “meritless.”

U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones of the ‌Northern District of ‌Georgia, an appointee of former President Barack Obama,‍ denied the emergency motion⁤ the same ⁢day, citing the pending hearing.

Witnesses Subpoenaed to Testify

Only one ‌notice of removal is required to ⁣move ⁤the ⁢entire case⁢ to federal court, Mr. Meadows’s lawyers noted. The issue of removal was raised by observers since the unusual indictment ⁣was⁢ handed up‍ on Aug. 14. Because it‌ is a ​state criminal ⁣case, not a ​federal⁤ one,‌ a conviction could not be pardoned‍ by a president.

Besides ‍Mr.⁢ Meadows, former Justice ⁢Department official ⁣Jeffrey Clark and alternate elector David ⁣Shafer have also filed notices⁢ of removal.

Ms. Willis is⁢ expected​ to contest⁣ the ⁣request for removal, which she ⁣ argued ⁤ against ‍in a response ⁢filed Aug. 23.

“Because the defendant faces charges that do not ‍arise from conduct ‌under the color of his office, and ‍because he can offer no ‍plausible federal‍ defense, the State of Georgia ⁤respectfully requests that this Court ‌remand the case to the Superior Court of Fulton County,” it reads.

It accuses Mr. Meadows of ​act



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