Meadows drops request to pause Georgia prosecution

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows asked Thursday dropped the request to pause his Georgia prosecution.

Meadows had previously raised concerns that he could be convicted before it is resolved whether his charges should be moved to federal court. But, a judge ruled earlier Thursday that he will not go to trial next month with two of his co-defendants.

Meanwhile, Meadows’s appeal in his effort to move his charges was expedited, paving the way for a decision in a matter of weeks.

The former Trump aide said those developments make his request for a pause unnecessary.

“Under this Court’s order expediting the appeal, the matter will be fully briefed and ripe for a decision well before Mr. Meadows would be required to proceed to trial and ahead of the presently scheduled pre-trial deadlines,” his attorneys wrote in court filings.

Meadows indicated Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) did not oppose the request to drop the motion. The judge signed off minutes later.

He had filed requests with three different courts to pause various aspects of the prosecution, and two had already denied the attempt.

A federal district judge denied a demand Wednesday to pause the possibility of Meadows’s conviction until his appeal is resolved, and the state court on Thursday denied a request to pause the proceedings entirely. 

Oral arguments on Meadows’s final pending request for a pause were scheduled for Friday morning, but they were canceled once the motion was withdrawn.

“If future developments in this case warrant it, Mr. Meadows may seek interim relief at a later date,” Meadows’s attorneys wrote. “But this Court has given every indication that it intends to adjudicate Mr. Meadows’s appeal on the merits in a timely fashion.”

Meadows is one of five defendants in the Georgia 2020 election case attempting to move the trial to federal court, which would allow them to try to assert immunity and get their charges dismissed. All pleaded not guilty.

Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and three pro-Trump individuals who signed documents purporting to be Georgia’s valid presidential electors have also begun attempting to make the move.

Former President Trump has suggested he may soon follow in their footsteps.

Updated at 12:40 p.m.