A South Carolina judge said Wednesday that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows must testify before the Atlanta special grand jury investigating the 2020 election.
The big picture: Meadows, a close ally to former President Trump, has sought to avoid testifying to the special grand jury, which has subpoenaed several allies of the former president in recent months, including lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
- Jeff DiSantis, a spokesperson for the Fulton County district attorney overseeing the inquiry, confirmed the ruling.
- Meadows, who currently lives in South Carolina, has argued that the special grand jury in Georgia is not a criminal probe and therefore he cannot be compelled to testify.
- Robert McBurney, the judge in Fulton County overseeing the probe, has previously said that the special grand jury was criminal, writing in a court filing: "Put simply, there is nothing about this special purpose grand jury that involves or implicates civil practice."
Between the lines: Meadows could be a key witness in the probe into attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
- The ex-White House chief of staff was on the line during a January 2021 phone call when Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes."
What to watch: Meadows' lawyer has indicated that he plans to appeal the order, CNN reports.
Go deeper... Meadows warned Jan. 6 could be "real, real bad," former top aide testifies
