North Carolina AG declines to press charges against Mark Meadows in voter fraud investigation

On Friday, POLITICO reported that North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has decided not to move forward with criminal charges against former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in an investigation into whether he committed voter fraud.

“The State Bureau of Investigation conducted an extensive investigation into the fraud allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Meadows concerning their registration and voting in the 2020 elections,” said Stein in a statement. “After a thorough review, my office has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges against either of them in this matter.”

Stein, a Democrat, went on to say the matter may be reopened if more evidence arises, and sharply criticized Meadows for his role in trying to overturn the election — but acknowledged this is a separate issue from the allegations being investigated in this case.

"In 2020, Meadows registered to vote in North Carolina three weeks ahead of the state’s registration deadline using the address of a mobile home he did not own or live in at the time, according to reporting from The New Yorker published in March," the report noted. This would appear to mean Meadows violated state law, which requires a voting address be "where you physically live."

The news that officials were considering criminal charges against Meadows was first reported earlier this month.

Meadows was a key figure in the House January 6 Committee investigation as well, as he repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to investigate conspiracy theories about election rigging after Trump's loss, including an idea that Italian satellites were being used to hack voting machines remotely.