Mark Meadows is pleading not guilty in the Georgia case, which stands as part of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s investigation into former President Donald Trump.
Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, is among 18 co-defendants, in addition to Trump, indicted as part of the investigation into alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State. As such, Meadows will not appear in court this week. As Breitbart News reported, Meadows is being “charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) statute for soliciting an official to violate his oath of office.” He originally surrendered in Fulton County hours ahead of Trump last month.
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Per the AP:
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had scheduled arraignment hearings for Wednesday for Meadows, former President Donald Trump and the other 17 people charged last month in a sprawling indictment. By midday Tuesday, all of the defendants had pleaded not guilty in filings with the court and waived their rights to an arraignment hearing.
The indictment itself is wildly controversial, essentially criminalizing everyday interactions such as asking for a phone number and reserving a room, deeming such “overt act[s] in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
The indictment, for instance, asserted that Meadows asking for the number for the speaker and leader of the Pennsylvania legislature was an “overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
Per the indictment [emphasis added]:
On or about the 21st day of November 2020, MARK RANDALL MEADOWS sent a text message to United States Representative Scott Perry from Pennsylvania and stated, “Can you send me the number for the speaker and the leader of PA Legislature. POTUS wants to chat with them.” This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.
…
On or about the 23rd day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP placed a telephone call to Office of the Georgia Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson that had been previously arranged by MARK RANDALL MEADOWS. During the phone call, DONALD JOHN TRUMP falsely stated that he had won the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia “by hundreds of thousands of votes’ and stated to Watson that ‘when the right answer comes out you’ll be praised.”
The indictment also appeared to criminalize simple acts such as Trump criticizing election officials and encouraging people to watch the special session of the state legislature.
Last month, Meadows filed a motion to remove the Georgia indictment against him to federal court and took the witness stand for five hours in his attempt to advance that effort.
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