Oct. 22 (UPI) — Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows can’t access federal records to help him fight criminal charges in a Georgia court, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S District of Washington, D.C., Judge Timothy Kelly denied Meadow’s attempt to obtain White House records possessed by the National Archives to assist him in his defense against criminal charges related to his effort to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The records Meadows seeks include relevant emails, text messages and other documents held by the National Archives and that relate to efforts to the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Meadows initially obtained permission for a Georgia state court judge and later to a local court in Washington, D.C., to pursue the records, but state courts generally don’t have jurisdiction over federal agencies.
“The court cannot bypass this jurisdictional defect,” Kelly ruled on Tuesday. Trump appointed Kelly to his judicial position.
Meadows is a former Republican member of Congress and represented North Carolina and coordinated communications and messaging with the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and local officials in Georgia.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed criminal charges against Meadows for his efforts to overturn the vote in Georgia.
Meadows has pleaded not guilty to one count of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in the Georgia case.
