On Tuesday, a sizable group of individuals accused of having a role in a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, led by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, entered their pleas of not guilty at a court hearing for their Fulton County case.
The 19 defendants facing charges in this case, including general election attorney John Eastman and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, waived their arraignments, and each entered their pleas. The only defendant yet to be prosecuted is Misty Hampton, a former Coffee County election official, who has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched the investigation into this case following the election dispute orchestrated by former President Donald Trump. The defendants have been indicted for violating Georgia’s RICO Act through their alleged assistance to Trump in his attempts to convince state officials to appoint alternate electors and disregard the general election results.
Meadows, Clark, and Shafer, the former chair of the Georgia GOP, have all filed motions to have their cases moved to federal court, where they could assert that their actions took place while they were in their roles as federal officials and, therefore, are covered under immunity.
Eastman’s name has been associated with the case since it was first brought to the public’s attention. He wrote a memo arguing that Trump could stay in power if then-Vice President Mike Pence refused to certify the 2020 Electoral College results during the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress. This memo was seen as proffering advice on how to negate the existence of the Electoral College. Eastman has been charged due to providing this advice to Trump.
The remaining defendants have also been charged with a range of crimes. Former Coffee County GOP chair Cathleen Latham is accused of aiding and abetting the Trump team’s access to county voting systems. At the same time, state Senator Shawn Still is charged with participating in the scheme to implement “alternate electors.”
Trump himself faces one count of violating the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents, and two counts of making false statements. The former president has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
This case draws attention as the district attorney’s office pursues criminal accountability for those with inflammatory roles in the plot to overthrow the 2020 election results. It remains to be seen whether or not the arguments that the accused federal officials are immune from prosecution will hold up in court. With the arraignment of Misty Hampton tomorrow morning, more information may be revealed and bring clarity to the case ahead.
