Meadows ordered to testify in Georgia

ATLANTA — The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered Tuesday Mark Meadows, a White House chief of staff under former President Donald Trump, to testify in the criminal investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his November 2020 election loss in Georgia.

In a three-paragraph written opinion, the court pointedly said Meadows’ legal efforts to avoid participating in the investigation were “manifestly without merit.” Meadows was originally scheduled to testify today.

Prosecutors say the special grand jury has evidence that Meadows set up and participated in the phone call on Jan. 2, 2021, in which Trump asked Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, to “find” the 11,780 votes that would allow him to win in Georgia.

In December 2020, Meadows made a surprise visit to Cobb County, Ga., to try to view an election audit that was in progress there. He was told by local officials that he was not authorized to see it.

Meadows has argued that he does not have to testify on the grounds that the Georgia special grand jury should be considered civil, not criminal, in nature. That, he argues, makes the subpoena unenforceable under an agreement among states that allows them to secure the attendance of out-of-state witnesses for criminal investigations.

In South Carolina, a lower court judge rejected Meadows’ argument in late October.

A spokesperson for Meadows’ lawyer declined to comment Tuesday.