A judge is set to hear arguments in a Phoenix courtroom regarding the potential transfer of former Donald Trump presidential chief of staff Mark Meadows' charges in Arizona's fake elector case to federal court. Meadows has requested the case be moved to U.S. District Court, citing his actions as a federal official working under Trump's administration and claiming immunity under the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The Arizona Attorney General's office, which filed the case, has opposed Meadows' request, arguing that he missed the deadline for seeking a transfer to federal court and that his alleged electioneering efforts were not part of his official duties at the White House.
Prosecutors allege that Meadows collaborated with other Trump campaign members to submit names of fake electors from Arizona and other states to Congress in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Trump's favor. President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes in the 2020 election.
Meadows previously attempted to move his Georgia charges to federal court, but his request was denied by a judge and later upheld by an appeals court. The Arizona indictment also reveals that Meadows acknowledged Trump's loss in the election to a White House staff member in November 2020.
In total, 18 Republicans, including Meadows, were charged in the Arizona fake electors case. Some defendants have sought dismissal of the charges, claiming that their actions were not criminal. Meadows and the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty to forgery, fraud, and conspiracy charges in Arizona.
While Trump was not charged in Arizona, the indictment refers to him as an unindicted coconspirator. Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme.
