Trump Co-Defendant Mark Meadows Demands Federal Judge Save Him From Arrest After DA Denies Delay
Former Trump Chief of Staff and current co-defendant Mark Meadows demanded a federal judge save him from arrest after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis denied a request for delay and threatened to issue a warrant if he fails to surrender.
Meadows is a key witness in several of the cases against Trump, and a co-defendant in the new indictment of Trump on 13 counts related to election crimes. DA Willis gave Trump and the 18 co-defendants named in the indictment until August 25 to surrender for arrest and arraignment, and on Tuesday denied Meadows attorney John Moran’s request for an extension.
“At 12:30 pm on Friday I shall file warrants in the system,” DA Willis wrote.
Following that denial, Meadows went to Federal District Court Judge Steven Jones — who was appointed by President Barack Obama — for help, citing the letter he got from Willis in a motion demanding he be protected from arrest:
District Attorney Fani Willis has made clear that she intends to arrest Mr. Meadows before this Court’s Monday hearing and has rejected out of hand a reasonable request to defer one business day until after this Court’s hearing. Absent this Court’s intervention, Mr. Meadows will be denied the protection from arrest that federal law affords former federal officials, and this Court’s prompt but orderly consideration of removal will be frustrated.
The motion argues that the case should be moved to federal court, but also that the arrest Friday be disallowed so that the decision on whether to transfer the case can be made. It concludes by asking the judge to “prohibit” Willis from having Meadows arrested:
The Court should therefore grant removal immediately and so notify the state court, or in the alternative, should enter an order prohibiting District Attorney Willis from arresting Mr. Meadows ahead of the evidentiary hearing this Court scheduled for Monday, August 28, at 10:00 A.M.
Judge Stevens issued an order requiring DA Willis to respond to the motion by 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The rest of Trump’s co-defendants have been trickling in for arrest, and Trump is expected to surrender Thursday.
