She continually pressed him on what kind of federal policy or interest he was advancing in carrying out what prosecutors have described in court documents as political acts in service of the Trump campaign - and thus not grounds for removal to federal court. Meadows was cross-examined by Anna Cross, a veteran prosecutor who has worked for district attorneys in three Atlanta area counties. Trump failed in his attempt to move a New York State criminal case against him to federal court his argument in that case was seen as particularly tenuous. Removing a case to federal court requires persuading a judge that the actions under scrutiny were carried out by federal officers as part of their official business. A lawyer for John Eastman, another defendant, has said he, too, will seek a speedy trial. Kenneth Chesebro has already been granted an early trial, and Sidney Powell has sought the same. If the case remains in state court, three of the defendants are likely to face trial starting in October. It could also slow down at least some of the proceedings. If the effort to move the case to federal court succeeds, it could benefit the Trump side by broadening the jury pool beyond Fulton County into outlying counties where the former president has somewhat more support. Trump’s distinctive voice filled the courtroom as prosecutors played snippets of the Jan. Trump made unfounded allegations about Georgia voter fraud. Raffensperger recounted the threats against him, his wife and election workers after Mr. Meadows, one of the highest-profile defendants, faced Fulton County prosecutors for the first time. Monday’s hearing marked a dramatic inflection point in the case: Mr. “Outreach to this extent was extraordinary,” he said of the calls from Mr. Under questioning by the prosecution, he characterized it as “a campaign call.” Trump was contesting the state’s results - and initially tried to avoid the Jan. Meadows - he said he “didn’t think it was appropriate” to talk to him while Mr. He recounted how he had ignored earlier calls from Mr. Raffensperger, a Republican who is the state’s top elections official, also testified after being subpoenaed by the prosecution. Trump wanted to make the call because he believed that fraud had occurred, and wanted to resolve questions about the ballot signature verification process. Raffensperger and said he wanted to “find” nearly 12,000 more Trump votes, enough to reverse his defeat in Georgia. During the call - a focus of the case - Mr. Trump and Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state. Trump directed him to set up the now-famous phone call on Jan. Meadows is one of several defendants who are trying to move the case any ruling on the issue could apply to all 19 defendants. Trump and his allies with interfering in the 2020 presidential election in the state. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga. Meadows and 17 others was filed by Fani T. The effort to shift the case to federal court is the first major legal fight since the indictment of Mr. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.Īt another point during the daylong hearing, he asked whether he was properly complying with the judge’s instructions, saying, “I’m in enough trouble as it is.” “My wife will tell you sometimes that I forget to take out the trash,” he told Judge Steve C. But he also appeared unsure of himself at times, saying often that he could not recall details of events in late 2020 and early 2021. Meadows stated emphatically that he believed that his actions detailed in the indictment fell within the scope of his duties as chief of staff. Under questioning by his own lawyers and by prosecutors, Mr. Trump and his allies to federal court began in earnest on Monday, when Mark Meadows, a former White House chief of staff, testified in favor of such a move before a federal judge in Atlanta. A battle over whether to move the Georgia racketeering case against Donald J.
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