Atlanta-based U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones has denied former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows' bid to move his Georgia criminal case to federal court, stating that he did not meet the "quite low threshold for removal" because his activities for the Trump campaign were outside the scope of his federal role, according to CNN.
As Salon previously reported, both Meadows and Jeffrey Clark wanted their cases handled — and ultimately dismissed — by federal courts because of their work for the Trump administration, but that obviously did not fly with the judge.
"The Court finds that the color of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff did not include working with or working for the Trump campaign, except for simply coordinating the President's schedule, traveling with the President to his campaign events, and redirecting communications to the campaign," Jones wrote. "Thus, consistent with his testimony and the federal statutes and regulations, engaging in political activities is exceeds the outer limits of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff." Per CNN's coverage of the judge's decision, "The ruling is also a personal blow to Meadows, who took a significant risk by testifying at a recent hearing about the removal bid, where he was questioned under oath by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' team."
