Another Trump cronie trying to wiggle out
Mark Meadows has asked the Supreme Court to recognize his 'just following orders' defense.
Meadows, a former Republican member of Congress, served as Trump's chief of staff in the final year of his White House administration. He was criminally charged alongside Trump in a separate case, brought by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office in Atlanta, over a plot to erase now-President Joe Biden's electoral victory in Georgia.
Meadows asked the Supreme Court to recognize that the president's subordinates should have immunity from criminal prosecution because they were just doing their job by following the president's instructions.
In a series of questions to Trump's lawyer, John Sauer, Justice Gorsuch indicated he believed that subordinates' liability was a helpful deterrent that would thwart presidents from committing crimes.
The indictment specifically alleges that Meadows met with Georgia state and Republican party officials and Trump campaign lawyers while planning to stop the certification of Biden's win.
On one day, Meadows even traveled to Georgia to observe an audit even though the process was closed to the public, according to the indictment. A few days later, he texted an election official offering the assistance of the Trump campaign, the indictment says.
In the US Constitution, the president has no role in certifying electoral votes.
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