Mark Meadows, Trump’s alleged henchman in the effort to illegally reverse his 2020 loss in Georgia, got some bad news a day ago: his effort to have his case moved from Georgia to federal court was denied quickly and summarily by the local Federal District Court. Meadows’s reasoning was that his actions in the event were, in brief, part and parcel of his job as Chief-of-Staff. Under federal law, he argued, his case belonged in federal court because the law “allows people charged with crimes while carrying out their official duties to be prosecuted in federal court, even in cases involving state law and state prosecutors.” Thereby, he thought, his case would be immediately dismissed, and then, back to writing his memoirs. The district court thought otherwise about his characterization of state election interference as merely part of his job as Trump’s Chief-0f-Staff.
Meadows, his chances of moving to federal court diminishing (he did appeal to the 5th Circuit Court), thought of an off-ramp that would allow a Georgia court to decide his case but not the court where prosecutor Fani Willis awaits him. His spokesperson explained:
“At the outset, we maintain that the charges placed against Mr. Meadows are relatively minor, a few phone calls to friends in Georgia, casual discussions really. A text message or two. A friendly visit to the state. These are not felonies regardless of what the state’s laws might imply. At best, they are minor matters much like routine traffic offenses.
Therefore, Mr. Meadows is today filing a lawsuit in the local Fulton County court to have his trial removed to the Fulton County Traffic Court. There Mr. Meadows will admit he accidentally veered out of his lane, thereby crossing briefly into the path of oncoming traffic. Perhaps he was distracted by his cell phone. We all have this happen. Every day. I myself had to take a call on my drive to court today. I barely missed squashing an elderly nun in a crosswalk, but my point is, I missed her and she went on about her day as if nothing had occurred. No blood, no foul.
Suppose we were all held accountable for each minor bit of accidental reckless driving in the wrong lane or a pedestrian crosswalk? Why, all of us would be in court every day! Calls would go unanswered, national commerce would shut down, dogs and cats would go hungry, children would panic, our elders would fall out! We look forward to a speedy resolution of the matter in traffic court, and are prepared to accept the small fine imposed for what was, at best, a momentary glitch in Mr. Meadows’s sterling driving record.”
