Two more of former President Donald Trump’s aides, including his one-time chief of staff Mark Meadows, have agreed to work with prosecutors in criminal cases against Trump.
ABC News first reported that Meadows was granted immunity by special counsel Jack Smith in a federal case involving the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. Meadows has met repeatedly with federal prosecutors and testified before a grand jury.
The ABC report, which relied on officials granted anonymity by the outlet, raises the prospect that Meadows could testify against his former boss in the federal case against Trump. Meadows is among the 18 Trump allies indicted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for election interference charges. Whatever Meadows says in open court in the federal probe can presumably be used in the Fulton County trial.
From the report:
The sources said Meadows informed Smith's team that he repeatedly told Trump in the weeks after the 2020 presidential election that the allegations of significant voting fraud coming to them were baseless, a striking break from Trump's prolific rhetoric regarding the election.
According to the sources, Meadows also told the federal investigators Trump was being “dishonest" with the public when he first claimed to have won the election only hours after polls closed on Nov. 3, 2020, before final results were in.
Also on Tuesday, attorney Jenna Ellis became the fourth defendant in the Fulton County case to plead guilty. She joins fellow Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, along with Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall, to reach a plea deal with prosecutors.
Ellis was a constant presence during Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 elections. She attended the December 2020 state Senate subcommittee hearing where Rudy Giuliani falsely testified to lawmakers that he had “a smoking gun” that proved Trump’s victory. Multiple recounts affirmed Trump’s loss to Biden.
Ellis wept in front of Judge Scott McAfee on Tuesday as she read her statement. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges,” she said. “I look back on this whole experience with deep remorse.”
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Arvin Temkar/AJC
Arvin Temkar/AJC
FALLOUT. Reaction was swift Tuesday morning after the Georgia Supreme Court rejected a narrow challenge to Georgia’s six-week abortion ban. The court ruled only on the question of whether the law should be considered constitutional since Roe v. Wade still protected the right to an abortion at the time the Georgia law passed the General Assembly in 2019.
Gov. Brian Kemp, who signed the bill into law, said Tuesday, “Today’s victory represents one more step toward ending this litigation and ensuring the lives of all Georgians are protected.”
House Speaker Jon Burns said, “Georgia defends the sanctity of life and today’s ruling upholds our commitment to this noble goal.”
And Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said he’ll “continue to ensure women make informed decisions about their health care with their family, doctors and spiritual leaders along with increasing access to health care services and options like adoption.”
But Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff released a statement calling the anti-abortion law “one of the most extreme in the nation” and telling the General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp to “repeal this extreme abortion ban.”
As a reminder that abortion is expected to be a potent political issue next year, the Georgia Democratic Party blasted out a statement about 6th District GOP U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, a top Democratic target, with the headline, “Reminder: Rich McCormick supports a total abortion ban.”
McCormick, a Suwanee physician, called the ruling a “huge win for every Georgian. Past, present, and future!”
The law will now go back to Fulton County Superior Court for additional legal challenges.
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LISTEN UP. The abortion ruling leads the latest edition of the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Have a question for the show? Call our 24-hour Politically Georgia Hotline at 404-526-2527 and we’ll answer it on our Friday episode.
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NEW SPEAKER? After Republicans in the U.S. House cycled through nine more House speaker-hopefuls and yet another failed speaker nominee in record time, members ended the day Tuesday expressing confidence the latest nominee can win on the floor.
Members will vote at noon today on whether Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, one of the architects of the failed effort to reject 2020 electoral votes from swing states won by Joe Biden, will become the next speaker.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer was the first GOP nominee of the day. But he abruptly ended his bid for the gavel a mere four hours after the GOP caucus picked him amid opposition from former President Donald Trump and his allies in the House.
Georgia U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome, Andrew Clyde of Athens and Mike Collins of Jackson were among the 26 members who tanked Emmer’s nomination. Trump later let it be known he had opposed the nomination.
Greene put out a statement saying Emmer wasn’t conservative enough because he voted in favor of same-sex marriage and certified the 2020 election over Trump’s objections. Earlier in the day, Rep. Rick Allen, the Augusta Republican, also called Emmer out during the closed-door meeting for his gay marriage stance.
Republicans immediately sought a new candidate, reopening nominations and eventually picking Johnson. He serves as a vice chair of the Republican Conference and received solid support from his colleagues after winning the nomination.
Back home, some Georgia Republicans seethed in frustration after Trump’s intervention spurred Emmer’s collapse.
“Has there ever been a more embarrassing moment in time to be a Republican?” said former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan. “It’s so hard to watch so many friends in the GOP not realize what a direct threat to this country Donald Trump has become.”
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Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FOSTER CARE. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff holds a hearing on Capitol Hill today to detail alleged abuse and neglect in Georgia’s state-run foster care system. The federal probe followed an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation that revealed systemic breakdowns.
In a video previewing the hearing, a young Chatham County woman who was in Georgia’s foster care system talks about her alleged abuse. She speaks about being sent to a “quiet room” that she likens to a solitary cell for about five days.
“I felt suicidal sometimes. I cried almost every night there,” said the woman, who is unidentified. “They have to get it together for the kids.”
The bipartisan hearing will examine troubles with the foster care system, both in Georgia and across the country, the AJC’s Katherine Landergan reports.
The investigation was announced in February by Ossoff, who chairs the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, and Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
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Miguel Martinez/AJC
Miguel Martinez/AJC
ELECTIONS CHIEF. Just two people have applied to be the State Election Board’s next chairman, a position left vacant since former chair Bill Duffey resigned nearly two months ago.
The two applicants are Eric Crawford, a defense attorney from Monroe who handles serious felonies and appeals; and Michael McBurnett, a data analyst for Equifax.
The AJC obtained their applications from Gov. Brian Kemp’s office through the Georgia Open Records Act.
Kemp hasn’t said when he will appoint a new leader of the board, and his choice isn’t confined to those who submit applications.
The board’s chairman is responsible for setting the agenda and leading the body responsible for reviewing allegations of fraud and irregularities in Georgia elections. The acting chair is Matt Mashburn, who was appointed by then-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan in 2020 and reappointed by the state Senate in February 2021.
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Natrice Miller/AJC
Natrice Miller/AJC
META SUIT. In welcome news to parents everywhere, Attorney General Chris Carr announced Tuesday that Georgia is suing technology giant Meta. The suit cites features on its social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, that research shows may be harmful to young children and teenagers.
Carr pointed to features “such as infinite scroll, auto play, near-constant alerts and the display of ‘likes’ — that purposefully addict children and teens.”
The lawsuit against Meta was filed Tuesday by 33 states in a San Francisco federal court.
In a statement on X, another social media platform, Carr said, “We will not allow our youngest citizens to be targets of deceptive social media practices and we’re working diligently to address this alarming trend.”
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Erin Schaff/The New York Times
Erin Schaff/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden hosts a formal state dinner in honor of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- In the U.S. House, the latest speaker nominee, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, faces a noon vote.
- The U.S. Senate considers the nomination of Jessica Looman of Minnesota as administrator of the federal Wage and Hour Division.
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TONED DOWN. Georgia new wave band the B-52s won’t be the featured entertainment at tonight’s White House state dinner after all. First lady Jill Biden announced the decision late Tuesday, apparently out of consideration for people affected by the Israel-Hamas war.
“While we had initially planned for legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain,” Biden said.
The AJC had the scoop Monday about the Athens-founded band’s scheduled performance. Three original members of the band, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson, will sit among the dinner guests instead while military-affiliated bands provide instrumental music.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his partner, Jodie Haydon, are the guests of honor.
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Kent D. Johnson/AJC
Kent D. Johnson/AJC
PERSONNEL NEWS: Bobby Cagle, the former head of the state Division of Family and Child Services, is now an executive with CareSource, one of the state’s Medicaid health plans. Cagle will serve as the group’s executive director of child welfare.
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Arvin Temkar/AJC
Arvin Temkar/AJC
SPOTTED: A tipster saw former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both Republicans, among the hundreds celebrating the opening of Assembly Atlanta, a film and production studio, at a black-tie gala this weekend in Doraville.
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Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. The lawn of the Governor’s Mansion was full of politicos Saturday for first lady Marty Kemp’s annual pet adoption day. But there was no bigger extrovert than Jack, a six-year-old shepherd mix from Shelters x Shelves Rescue in Clarkdale.
Jack’s foster family reports he is “very gentle, calm, well-mannered and affectionate,” which makes him better company than most people. He gave Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper the hard sell, and we think Harper almost went for it. If Jack sounds like your new best friend, you can contact the shelter directly.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
