'I can do whatever I want because I was the chief of staff' isn’t the way it works: Ex-Fulton Sr. DA
Former Donald Trump's chief of staff's lawyers are asking that the charges against him be dropped, reported on Saturday. His reasoning is that while acting for Trump, he should be immune from any accountability.
"The conduct charged here falls squarely within the scope of Mr. Meadows's duties as chief of staff and the federal policy underlying that role," Meadows' attorneys said in the filing.
But former Fulton County Senior District Attorney Charlie Bailey joined the chorus of legal analysts explaining that it doesn't work that way.
Speaking to MSNBC Sunday afternoon, Bailey explained, "I don't believe it has traction."
First, the case was filed in federal court to Judge Steve Jones, who can't rule on it because he doesn't have jurisdiction. So, he'll have to rule on whether the case is being moved to federal court out of Georgia.
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"But, secondly, I'll say this, I think it sounds a lot like some of the arguments in his motion, Mark Meadows motion to remand," Bailey explained of Meadows' attempt to dismiss the charges. It also sounds like "a lot of things you hear from Donald Trump which is focused on 'who I am' not 'what I did.' Frankly, that has an authoritarian ring to it. But you see that as an excuse a lot. That I can do whatever I want because I was chief of staff. I can do what I want because I was president of the United States. And that's not the way it works."
Meadows was also discovered to have censored his own book when ghostwriters discovered details about the documents that Trump took from the White House.
He went on to say that after working with District Attorney Fani Willis as she oversaw the school cheating scandal, he knows her to be a prudent prosecutor.
"What you have here in Fani Willis and her team what they've done with this indictment is tell the entire story. So, there's nowhere to hide," he warned. "So, that the jury — when this gets to trial has a full understanding of the context of all these actions that were taken. So, it's a strong case. Now, every case is only as strong as the evidence at trial. In an indictment, of course, there are allegations but once we get to trial we see. I'll tell you this about Fani Willis, she doesn't put a charge down unless she has evidence to back it up. So, I think it tells a strong story about the attempt to overthrow our election here in Georgia. I wouldn't want to be one of the defendants, in this case, I'll tell you that."
Trump allies are assuming that Meadows has turned into a "rat" against Trump.
See the full conversation in the video below or at the link here.
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