In the wake of last Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol, President Trump is reported to have compiled a lengthy list of potential subjects of presidential pardons, including top aides, outside advisers, family members, rappers and other celebrities, and himself. Among those on the list is current White House Chief of Staff and former North Carolina congressman Mark Meadows, who has so far not been accused of a crime, but could be in jeopardy for his role in the now-infamous phone call during which Trump pressured Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” votes for him, an apparent solicitation of fraud.
In addition to potential criminal exposure, Meadows identified himself in his White House capacity during an overtly political conversation and would appear to have violated the Hatch Act, a federal statute that the Trump administration has rendered virtually meaningless. Trump’s pardon power would not affect any possible civil action on campaign finance violations that might result from a complaint that a watchdog group filed against Meadows with the Federal Election Commission this fall, based on Salon’s reporting.
On the Jan. 2 call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a tape of which was leaked the next day to the Washington Post, Meadows played a dual role as emcee and translator for Trump’s possibly criminal demands. At the top of the conversation, he identifies himself as “the chief of staff,” then lists the participants, including the mysterious role of lawyer Cleta Mitchell, who Meadows said “is not the attorney of record but has been involved.” Later, Trump asked Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to win the state. Continue reading.