Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was subpoenaed Thursday to testify at a Monday hearing on former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to move his case to federal court.
Meadows is one of 19 defendants who was indicted by a grand jury on charges relating to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ probe into former President Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued subpoenas Thursday for both Raffensperger and the former chief investigator for his office, Frances Watson, compelling them to testify at Meadows’ scheduled Monday hearing.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ordered the hearing earlier in the month to consider Meadows’ request to remove his case to federal court, where he argues it should be heard because the charges “all occurred during his tenure and as part of his service as Chief of Staff.”
Meadows set up the call where Trump allegedly told Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to surpass Joe Biden. He was charged with violating Georgia’s “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations” (RICO) Act and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer. (RELATED: Fani Willis Requests October Date For Trump Trial)
TOPSHOT – Former US President Donald Trump points at the crowd as he attends Round 3 of the LIV Golf-Bedminster 2023 at the Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey on August 13, 2023. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
“Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President’s behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President,” Meadows’ lawyers wrote in the August 15 court filing. “One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things. And they have far less to do with the interests of state law than, for example, murder charges that have been successfully removed.”
Jones rejected Meadows’ emergency motion to immediately remove the case from state court and halt his arrest Wednesday.
Meadows’ bond was set at $100,000, according to a Thursday court filing.
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