GA - Former President Donald Trump indicted, 10 counts in 2020 election interference, violation of RICO Act, 14 Aug 2023 #2

[BritsKate]

Lisa Rubin
@lawofruby
·
2h

"Nearly every former prosecutor I know predicted Mark Meadows would not take the stand at his removal hearing. The risks to him from cross would simply be too great, they agreed. And they were wrong.

RSBBM

What?!? The writing was on the wall last week imo. This is from Friday:

Meadows may well testify Monday (I think he has to) - so, think of it like this...

He either has to concede his actions weren't within the scope of official duties (thereby no Hatch Act violation) and no reason for removal OR he admits, under oath, that he violated federal law which calls into question whether the actions could conceivably be part of his job because the Hatch Act restricts him from doing exactly what he did which also probably dooms his removal bid. Add to that some heavy hitters are subpeonaed to testify in Monday's hearing too (2 Trump lawyers who were also on the call; a GA elections investigator and SOS Raffensperger.)

All the other removal bids are absurd imo. He's got the best shot and once you read her response you'll realize even that's probably (hopefully) unlikely. JMO

ETA: He could, I guess, also plead the 5th but I still think he loses.

It's like a self defense claim - the only way you can really refute a 'state of mind argument' is by testifying. JMO

 

[legalmomma]

I think the atty client privilege arguments will be most interesting

 

[BritsKate]

I think the atty client privilege arguments will be most interesting

Do you think Willis will argue crime fraud exception?

 

[BritsKate]

Anna Bower on Twitter:

The scope of questioning thus far has focused on Meadows's duties as Chief of Staff--and whether he subjectively believed that the conduct alleged in the indictment was within the scope of those duties. At break, Meadows was being cross examined by Fulton County prosecutors.

Prosecutors indicated that they intend to cross examine Meadows for 30-45 more minutes when we return from lunch. None of the witnesses called by the prosecution--Brad Raffensperger, Alex Kaufman, Kurt Hilbert, and Frances Watson--have testified yet.
------------
In reading the CNN latest, I'm convinced this bid will fail. I will be shocked if it's successful. He basically doesn't remember doing anything in the indictment and wholly believed he was just doing his job.

 

[no nonsense]

BREAKING: Meadows defends actions as he testifies in federal court

BREAKING: Meadows defends actions as he testifies in federal court

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Monday took the stand in an Atlanta courtroom in a bid to move his Fulton County racketeering case to federal court.

www.ajc.com

 

[LaborDayRN]

Wow!

USA TODAY

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said it has raised $7.1 million since Thursday, when he was arrested in Georgia on charges he tried to steal the 2020 presidential election.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said the campaign raised $4.18 million on Friday alone, marking the its highest-grossing day so far.

I'm at the point of not believing ANYTHING Donald Trumps "campaign" has to say.

 

[Inthedetails]

I'm at the point of not believing ANYTHING Donald Trumps "campaign" has to say.

I keep saying in my head: "A fool and his money are soon parted," thinking both of the defendant and the donors.
jmo

 

[Friday Fan]

Anna Bower on Twitter:

The scope of questioning thus far has focused on Meadows's duties as Chief of Staff--and whether he subjectively believed that the conduct alleged in the indictment was within the scope of those duties. At break, Meadows was being cross examined by Fulton County prosecutors.

Prosecutors indicated that they intend to cross examine Meadows for 30-45 more minutes when we return from lunch. None of the witnesses called by the prosecution--Brad Raffensperger, Alex Kaufman, Kurt Hilbert, and Frances Watson--have testified yet.
------------
In reading the CNN latest, I'm convinced this bid will fail. I will be shocked if it's successful. He basically doesn't remember doing anything in the indictment and wholly believed he was just doing his job.

I hope the judge is familiar with campaigns. It's not unusual for Chief of Staff to campaign. They're supposed to use a personal phone, personal email et etc etc, but the lines are often blurred. It happens alot! (And many don't get in trouble) It's hard to juggle. But in this case, Meadows was wearing his "campaign hat", even if he was using govt. official resources.


It would have been a Hatch Act violation at the time, but the Hatch Act is civil law. Its not criminal.

 

[BritsKate]

I hope the judge is familiar with campaigns. It's not unusual for Chief of Staff to campaign. They're supposed to use a personal phone, personal email et etc etc, but the lines are often blurred. It happens alot! (And many don't get in trouble) It's hard to juggle. But in this case, Meadows was wearing his "campaign hat", even if he was using govt. official resources.


It would have been a Hatch Act violation at the time, but the Hatch Act is civil law. Its not criminal.

The Hatch Act prohibits a federal employee from using official government resources though - even his/her title. And that's the issue - Meadows is hiding behind being a federal employee when federal law may have prohibited his actions.

Made more complicated by the fact that the office of the president has no role or authority in how states count or certify votes so what he's trying to do instead is claim his actions were post-election and not tied to the campaign at all - in order to properly advise the president.

I think that's the best tack he can take. JMO

 

[Friday Fan]

The Hatch Act prohibits a federal employee from using official government resources though - even his/her title. And that's the issue - Meadows is hiding behind being a federal employee when federal law may have prohibited his actions.

Made more complicated by the fact that the office of the president has no role or authority in how states count or certify votes so what he's trying to do instead is claim his actions were post-election and not tied to the campaign at all - in order to properly advise the president.

I think that's the best tack he can take. JMO

I'm not sure what day he made the call. However, recounts are considered to be campaign. After the votes are certified, in most cases, then I guess you can no longer consider it to be "campaign". However, in Trump's case, they were lobbying the VP not to certify the election and lobbying Senators and Congressional reps not to accept the electoral votes. These actions would also be considered to be "campaign"

 

[BritsKate]

Just going to post this for people who haven't had the time or inclination to read the indictment:

In comparison to Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and legal adviser John Eastman, Meadows is mentioned fewer times, and often cited as playing a supporting role, like seeking out phone numbers or joining a call, including a now-infamous conversation with Trump and former Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump asked Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” enough for him to win Georgia. The indictment cites this when charging both with encouraging a public officer to violate their oath.

Meadows is accused of organizing other phone calls for Trump, texting a Georgia official about whether financial assistance from the Trump campaign would speed up a vote verification process and traveling to the state in an attempt to oversee an election audit that was not open to the public, all of which furthered the conspiracy, according to Willis.

What you need to know about Mark Meadows' 2020 election charges

Former congressman and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who served during the final months of Donald Trump’s presidency, was one of 18 people indicted alongside the former president in Georgia.

www.pbs.org

 

[Stunned]

I keep saying in my head: "A fool and his money are soon parted," thinking both of the defendant and the donors.
jmo

I think the defendant has always depended on his fools for money. IMO

 

[Chelly]

Wow!

USA TODAY

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said it has raised $7.1 million since Thursday, when he was arrested in Georgia on charges he tried to steal the 2020 presidential election.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said the campaign raised $4.18 million on Friday alone, marking the its highest-grossing day so far.

Trump is charged with racketeering, i.e. running a criminal enterprise, yet donors are eager to donate millions to assist him. To me, this defies logic. My opinion.

 

[BritsKate]

Raffensperger, a Republican, testified there was no federal role in the certification of Georgia’s elections, which he oversees as the state’s top election official. Fulton County prosecutors asked if there was any role for the US president in certifying Georgia’s elections. Raffensperger replied there was none. “It was a campaign call,” Raffensperger said.

Live updates: Trump indictment latest news in special counsel 2020 election and Georgia cases

Two key hearings are scheduled Monday that could define the next phase of the state and federal cases against Donald Trump related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Follow here for the latest live news updates.

edition.cnn.com

 

[vls12345]

Jozsef Papp
@JozsefPapp_
·
1h
All 19 defendants, including Donald Trump, have arraignments scheduled for next Wed. Sept. 6 in front of Judge Scott McAfee.

In Georgia, defendants can waive arraignments.

Atlanta lawyer Ray Smith filed a waiver of arraignment and entered a not guilty plea on Monday.
@AJC

https://twitter.com/x/status/1696258871344394589

 

[vls12345]

Greg Bluestein
@bluestein
·
3h
The director of Georgia’s top law enforcement agency urged state lawmakers to report threats to local and state authorities amid an uptick of suspicious activity surrounding the indictment of former President Donald Trump in Fulton County. #gapol

https://twitter.com/x/status/1696231159997387036

 

[BritsKate]

Anna Bowers:
The Mark Meadows removal hearing is finally over. Judge Jones did not issue a ruling from the bench, but said he would try to issue a ruling “as fast as possible.” Meadows must appear in Fulton County superior court for arraignment if he doesn’t rule by Sept. 6, he said.

 

[Vern]

Anna Bowers:
The Mark Meadows removal hearing is finally over. Judge Jones did not issue a ruling from the bench, but said he would try to issue a ruling “as fast as possible.” Meadows must appear in Fulton County superior court for arraignment if he doesn’t rule by Sept. 6, he said.

Link to the tweet for reference:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1696281193442943414

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Hm. Meadows is unable to recall very much it seems:

I had a feeling that's the stance he would take.

It seems sort of like "no comment"

 

[Leilei]

Breakdown of Meadow's appearance today in Fulton County.

Thread by @rgoodlaw on Thread Reader App

@rgoodlaw: What a high risk gamble. Mark Meadows takes the stand to support his motion to move Fulton County case to federal court. Even this statement alone gets him into deeper trouble for involvement in the alleg...…

threadreaderapp.com