Now Mark Meadows has been called to testify in Georgia’s criminal investigation into Trump’s attempt to overturn the election: the judge is delaying Gov. Kemp’s testimony until after the midterms as the case heats up
- The judge denied Gov. Brian Kemp’s attempt to dismiss the subpoena Monday
- But the governor’s appearance was postponed until after the midterms
- It comes as the district attorney has quickened the pace of the criminal investigation
- Fani Willis demands that Mark Meadows testify before the grand jury
- It shows how the criminal investigation has penetrated Donald Trump’s inner circle
A judge leading the Georgia grand jury’s investigation into allegations of electoral interference by Donald Trump and his supporters on Monday threw out an attempt by the state governor to quash a subpoena ordering him to testify.
In a sign the investigation is gaining momentum, the decision to deny Gov. Brian Kemp’s request came shortly after the grand jury ordered Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, to testify.
However, Kemp won a partial victory when Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert CI McBurney delayed his appearance until after the midterm elections.
The governor has claimed the investigation is politically motivated, and his attorneys have argued his position means he should be protected from having to testify.
“The governor is in the midst of a re-election campaign, and this criminal grand jury investigation should not be used by the district attorney, the governor’s opponent, or the governor himself to influence the outcome of this election,” McBurney wrote.
“The sensible and prudent course is to allow the election to proceed without further litigation or other activity regarding the governor’s involvement in the work of the special grand jury.”
But McBurney added he expects Kemp’s attorneys to get him ready for an immediate appearance after the midterms.
A judge said Monday that Gov. Brian Kemp should appear before a grand jury to investigate allegations of Georgia election interference, but that the hearing could wait until after the midterms
It comes after the grand jury requested testimony from Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows as the investigation appears to be heating up
A delay could increase the likelihood that Trump will be a declared presidential candidate by the time the investigation is complete, further raising the political stakes.
The investigation is one of several that could have serious legal ramifications for the former president.
As a result, the prosecutor, who is investigating whether Trump or his allies violated state laws by urging the 2020 findings to be overturned, has accelerated the investigation.
On Thursday, Fani Willis called for Meadows to appear in September, saying he was a “necessary and essential witness in the Special Purpose Grand Jury investigation.”
Meadows participated in a phone call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump urged him to find enough votes to reverse the Georgia outcome.
‘[T]The Special Purpose Grand Jury investigation concluded that the witness was involved in setting up the call,” Willis wrote in the filing provided to Politico.
Meadows also traveled to the state on an unannounced visit.
He’s not the only one targeted by prosecutors.
Last month, she filed similar petitions on behalf of seven other Trump associates, including Sen. Lindsey Graham and attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Giuliani testified last week – and was told he was a target of the investigation – while Graham is fighting the subpoena in court.
Also Monday, McBurney declined to reverse a subpoena for attorney Kenneth Chesebro, who was representing the Trump campaign. According to a court filing, he is scheduled to appear before the special grand jury on Tuesday.
Willis launched the investigation early last year, sparked by a phone conversation between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, during which the then-president suggested the state’s top election official could “find” the votes needed to make up for his loss. But the scope of the investigation has expanded significantly since then.
Raffensperger and several other state officials have already appeared before the special jury, McBurney noted in his verdict.
