A federal judge has rejected former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to obtain a trove of documents from the National Archives intended to strengthen his defense against criminal charges in Georgia.
U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly ruled Tuesday that Meadows’ effort — which he initially brought in local court in D.C. but was transferred to federal court — was flawed from the start. Although a judge in Georgia allowed Meadows to examine the files, Kelly noted that state courts rarely have a say in the actions taken against a federal agency.
“The Court cannot avoid this jurisdictional deficit,” ruled Kelly, a Donald Trump appointee.
Meadows had hoped to gain access to White House emails, text messages and other documents held by the National Archives to prepare his defense against criminal charges filed against him in Georgia for his role in aiding Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 results in the state.
Meadows has largely flown under the radar since Trump left office in 2021, resisting an appearance before the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 even as he turned over text messages that became a roadmap for the panel’s investigation . Meadows was also forced by a federal judge last year to testify before special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
The former Republican congressman from North Carolina was ubiquitous as Trump sought to subvert the 2020 election by coordinating messages with the campaign, state officials and the RNC. He was eventually indicted in Georgia by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for his involvement in Trump’s attempt to overturn the outcome in the state.
Meadows was a participant in a phone call between Trump and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the then-president asked election officials to “find” just enough votes to overturn his defeat. He also traveled to Georgia during a closely scrutinized recount and asked if the Trump campaign could help fund the process to speed it up.
An attorney for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
