Charges against Donald Trump’s onetime chief of staff Mark Meadows over efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election will not be heard in federal court, a sign that similar bids by the former U.S. president and his co-defendants to move the criminal case to a more favorable venue will fail. - REUTERS
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00:00 A judge has denied a bid from former Trump aide Mark Meadows to move his Georgia election
00:07 case to federal court.
00:09 The ruling on Friday by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones gives an early win to Fulton County
00:14 prosecutors who in August charged Meadows, former President Donald Trump and 17 others
00:21 with conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
00:26 Meadows is accused of arranging calls and meetings, which prosecutors say led Trump
00:30 pressure election officials to change the vote count in his favor.
00:35 The former chief of staff could have faced a friendlier jury pull in federal court.
00:39 It draws from a larger and more politically diverse area than Fulton County where the
00:44 case was filed.
00:46 Moving to federal court would also let Meadows argue that he is immune from state prosecution
00:51 because he was carrying out his duties as a federal official.
00:55 The ruling is a sign that similar bids by the former U.S. president and his co-defendants
00:59 to move the criminal case to a more favorable venue will fail.
01:04 A lawyer for Meadows did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
01:07 Meadows could appeal the ruling.
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