Trump's chief of staff ordered to testify in Georgia election probe after judge rejects his claims

Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows has been ordered by a South Carolina judge to testify in Fulton County, Georgia's criminal probe of former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

CNN reports that Judge Edward Miller, who sits on the Court of Common Pleas in Pickens County, South Carolina, found no merit to the argument that testifying would cause Meadows any "undue hardship."

According to Lawfare Blog writer Anna Bower, who has been following the case, Meadows will have the opportunity to appeal the case before the South Carolina state appellate court.

Meadows has been a key witness in all investigations into Trump's efforts to reverse his election loss.

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Although he was initially cooperative with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riots, he stopped providing the committee with requested documents that he claimed would have violated the former president's right to executive privilege.

The committee made a criminal contempt referral of Meadows to the Department of Justice, which ultimately declined to file charges on him given his at least partial cooperation.