Georgia DA: Keep Trump Admin Cases in State Court

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office argued Wednesday that two indictments stemming from its Trump administration racketeering case should be kept in state court.

In filings with the federal District Court in Northern Georgia, Willis’ team pleaded that criminal proceedings against Mark Meadows and Jeffrey Clark be kept in the state court system.

“Federal courts have repeatedly denied requests to interfere in state criminal prosecutions,” chief senior assistant DA F. McDonald Wakeford contended in response to Meadows’ emergency motion for immediate removal or order prohibiting the district attorney from arresting him.

“Generally, only in cases of proven harassment or prosecutions taken in bad faith without hope of obtaining a valid conviction is federal intervention against pending state prosecutions appropriate.”

Meadows, Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, was charged last week as a co-conspirator in Trump’s alleged effort to overturn the 2020 election and recently filed an emergency motion to stop his arrest.

Clark, an assistant attorney general in the Trump administration, filed a similar motion after he was charged as a co-conspirator.

Both also suggested in their respective filings that federal courts should handle the broader case because of legal immunity for administration officials granted under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

However, Wakefield contended in the state’s responses that federal courts mostly refrain from interfering in state court proceedings without holding an evidentiary hearing, which Meadows is scheduled to have on Aug. 28.

In addition, Wakefield maintained that Meadows and Clark could still be subject to arrest even if the case is moved to federal court.

U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones dealt a blow to Meadows and Clark on Wednesday evening, siding with Willis’ office in letting the men’s arrests go through.