Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Ordered to Testify in Georgia Election Probe
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows might finally appear before the Georgia grand jury as a South Carolina judge ordered him to testify about Donald Trump's efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
The clerk of court for Pickens County, South Carolina, told NBC News that South Carolina Circuit Judge Edward Miller ruled Wednesday morning that Meadows must comply with a petition that sought his testimony before the special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia.
Meadows is not a resident of Georgia and resides in South Carolina. Thus, Georgia authorities had to ask a South Carolina judge to compel him to comply with the subpoena. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sought his testimony.
Willis alleged that Meadows was communicating with Trump and his campaign and other individuals involved "in the multistate, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere" in the lead-up to the January 6 Capitol attack.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney agreed to Willis' request and ordered the former White House official to appear last month.
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Georgia Election Probe: Mark Meadows' Arguments Questioned by South Carolina Judge
During a hearing Wednesday morning, South Carolina Circuit Judge Edward Miller questioned Mark Meadows' arguments as to why he should not have to comply with a subpoena.
Miller, who sits on the Court of Common Pleas in Pickens County, questioned the relevancy of some of the evidence that the former chief of staff put forward in the hearing. He also admonished Meadows's attorneys when they tried to argue that the probe had partisan motivation.
"This is not a political hearing," Miller told Meadows's attorney, James Bannister. According to CNN, the judge noted that some of Meadows' legal team's arguments could be considered by other courts but "were not relevant to the decision before him."
Others in the Donald Trump circle, including former Trump's attorney Jenna Ellis, have also challenged the Fulton County probe's subpoenas. However, they have been unsuccessful.
Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have already made their appearances and testified before the special grand jury in Georgia. Mark Meadow's lawyer James Bannister told CNN that his client plans to appeal the latest ruling.
Decision Comes After Mark Meadows Asked South Carolina Judge to Reject Subpoena
The inquiry in Georgia is separate from the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot.
According to Politico, Mark Meadows is a crucial witness for the Georgia investigation, as it was an "expansive inquiry into Trump's wide-ranging effort to subvert the election, as well as issues specific to Georgia."
Meadows earlier urged South Carolina Circuit Judge Edward Miller to reject the effort to subpoena him for testimony in November.
It was previously reported that Meadows was also on the line when the former President pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to win the state.
Meadows also reportedly traveled to Georgia in December 2020 to monitor the state's election results audit. This trip also drew scrutiny from the January 6 committee that also subpoenaed Mark Meadows. So far, he has resisted the subpoena.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Mark Meadows Ordered to Testify in Georgia Election Probe - From MSNBC