Judge used Mark Meadows’ own testimony against him in rejecting bid for a move to federal court

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-georgia-indictment-09-08-23/index.html Judge used Mark Meadows’ own testimony against him in rejecting bid for a move to federal court From CNN's Marshall Cohen US District Court Judge Steve Jones concluded that some of Mark Meadows’ high-stakes testimony on the witness stand last month was lacking – and even used some of the former Trump chief of staff's testimony against him. “When questioned about the scope of his authority, Meadows was unable to explain the limits of his authority, other than his inability to stump for the President or work on behalf of the campaign,” Jones wrote, saying he would give Meadows’ testimony on that topic “less weight” than the other evidence. Jones also cited Meadows’ acknowledgment that the lawyers he included in an infamous 2021 phone call with Georgia’s secretary of state were working for Trump or his campaign — not the government. Remember: The distinction between government and political work is key because the effort to move Meadows' case to federal court was motivated by seeking a type of immunity sometimes extended to people who are prosecuted for conduct tied to their US government roles. More from the ruling: In his 49-page ruling, Jones also highlighted Meadows’ testimony about a December 2020 meeting with state lawmakers from Michigan. Meadows said most of the meeting “had to do with allegations of potential (election) fraud” and Trump “had a personal interest in the election in Michigan,” Jones noted. “Accordingly, the meeting … was outside the scope of his federal executive branch office as they related to State election procedures following the presidential election,” Jones concluded. The judge said in a footnote that his findings shouldn’t be interpreted as an opinion on “Meadows’s propensity to be truthful as a general matter.”