A hearing is scheduled to take place in a Phoenix courtroom regarding the potential transfer of charges against Mark Meadows, former chief of staff for President Donald Trump, to federal court. Meadows is requesting that the case be moved to U.S. District Court, claiming immunity under the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause due to his actions taking place while he was a federal official working for Trump. The charges in Arizona are part of allegations involving an illegal scheme to influence the 2020 election results in Trump’s favor. He previously attempted to move similar charges in Georgia to federal court but was unsuccessful.
The Arizona Attorney General’s office, led by Democrat Kris Mayes, opposes Meadows’ request, citing missed deadlines and arguing that his actions were not within the scope of his official duties at the White House. Although Meadows was not a fake elector in Arizona, prosecutors allege that he collaborated with other Trump campaign members to submit fake elector names from various states to Congress in an attempt to overturn the election results in Trump’s favor. President Joe Biden had won Arizona by a margin of 10,457 votes in 2020.
Meadows previously sought to have his charges in Georgia transferred to federal court, which was denied by a judge and upheld by an appeals court. The Arizona indictment states that Meadows acknowledged Trump’s election loss in November 2020 and engaged in discussions related to the fake elector conspiracy. Meadows and other defendants are pursuing a dismissal of the Arizona case, asserting that his actions were not criminal and were part of discussing legal strategies with the president’s campaign.
In total, 18 Republicans were charged in the Arizona fake electors case, including individuals who falsely claimed Trump had won Arizona. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others connected to Trump are among the defendants. Some individuals involved have reached agreements with prosecutors, leading to the dismissal of charges or convictions. Meadows and the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty to forgery, fraud, and conspiracy charges in Arizona. Trump himself was not charged in Arizona but is referred to as an unindicted coconspirator in the indictment, which also details the submission of a certificate by Arizona Republican electors falsely claiming Trump’s victory in the state. Prosecutors in several other states have also pursued criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme.
