Mark Meadows, 6 Others Plead Not Guilty In Georgia Election Interference Case

Mark Meadows, who served as chief of staff under former President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty and waived his right to in-person arraignment alongside six other defendants in Georgia’s election interference case on Tuesday.

He’s the latest among the group of 19 defendants to enter a not guilty plea ahead of Wednesday’s arraignment. Former Trump attorney John Eastman, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and Georgia Republican Party officials Cathy Latham, Shawn Still, David Shafer and Misty Hampton followed suit.

So far, every defendant to enter a plea in the case has chosen not guilty. Trump entered his own plea last week.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced charges against the group in August, nearly three years after Trump refused to accept that he lost the 2020 election to now-President Joe Biden.

A federal judge has yet to rule on whether to move Meadows’ case to the federal court system, as he’s requested. In a risky gambit, Meadows testified last week to argue for the move.

Willis alleges that Trump’s refusal to admit defeat, even in the face of evidence provided by his own White House administration officials, led to a multi-pronged scheme that violated Georgia’s expansive state racketeering act.

The charges encompass the infamous call on Jan. 2, 2021, where Trump pressed a state election official, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to “find” him enough votes to overturn the results in that state.

The Georgia case is just one of several criminal cases facing the former president. Trump has also been charged in New York over alleged campaign finance law violations, and twice at the federal level over alleged mishandling of classified documents and election interference.

He continues to poll extremely well among Republican voters, leading the second most popular candidate in the presidential primary, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), by about40 points.

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