Judge rejects former Trump aide Mark Meadows' bid to move charges

A judge has rejected a bid by Mark Meadows chief of staff to former President Donald Trump to move his charges in Arizonas fake elector case to federal court marking the second time he has failed in trying to get his charges out of state courtIn a decision Monday US District Judge John Tuchi said Meadows missed a deadline for asking for his charges to be moved to federal court and failed to show that the allegations against him related to his official duties as chief of staff to the president Meadows faces charges in Arizona and Georgia in what authorities allege was an illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Trumps favour He had unsuccessfully tried to move charges in the Georgia case last yearWhile not a fake elector in Arizona prosecutors said Meadows worked with other Trump campaign members to submit names of fake electors from Arizona and other states to Congress in a bid to keep Trump in office despite his November 2020 defeat Meadows has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Arizona and GeorgiaIn 2020 Democrat Joe Biden won Arizona by 10457 votes The decision sends Meadows case back down to Maricopa County Superior Court In both Arizona and Georgia Meadows argued his charges should be moved to federal court because his actions were taken when he was a federal official working as Trumps chief of staff and that he has immunity under the supremacy clause of the US Constitution which says federal law trumps state lawArizona prosecutors said Meadows electioneering efforts werent part of his official duties at the White House Meadows last year tried to get his Georgia charges moved but his request was rejected by a judge whose ruling was later affirmed by an appeals court Meadows has since asked the US Supreme Court to review the rulingThe Arizona indictment says Meadows confided to a White House staff member in early November 2020 that Trump had lost the election Prosecutors say Meadows also had arranged meetings and calls with state officials to discuss the fake elector conspiracy Meadows and other defendants are seeking a dismissal of the Arizona caseMeadows attorneys said nothing their client is alleged to have done in Arizona was criminal They said the indictment consists of allegations that he received messages from people trying to get ideas in front of Trump or seeking to inform Mr Meadows about the strategy and status of various legal efforts by the presidents campaignIn all 18 Republicans were charged in late April in Arizonas fake electors case The defendants include 11 Republicans who had submitted a document falsely claiming Trump had won Arizona another Trump aide and five lawyers connected to the former presidentIn August Trumps campaign attorney Jenna Ellis who worked closely with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors that led to the dismissal of her charges Republican activist Loraine Pellegrino became the first person to be convicted in the Arizona case when she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to probationThe remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty to the forgery fraud and conspiracy charges in Arizona Trump wasnt charged in Arizona but the indictment refers to him as an unindicted coconspirator The 11 people who were nominated to be Arizonas Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec 14 2020 to sign a certificate saying they were duly elected and qualified electors and claimed Trump had carried the stateA oneminute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives where it was ignored Prosecutors in Michigan Nevada Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors schemeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever