CNN– Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has surrendered to be booked on charges brought against him by local prosecutors in Georgia for his alleged role in schemes to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.
Before the return of the Fulton County grand jury indictment last week, Meadows had maintained an extremely low profile in the criminal investigations swirling around former President Donald Trump.
Meadows has been charged with two crimes: Violating Georgia’s RICO act — an anti-racketeering law — and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath. He denies wrongdoing.
The allegations mainly revolve around the ex-chief of staff’s participation in the infamous phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early January 2021, when Trump pressured him to “find” enough votes to make him the winner.
Meadows has agreed to a $100,000 bond deal with prosecutors, according to court documents.
He is seeking to have his case removed to federal court, arguing the charges against him should be dismissed under a federal immunity law that shields conduct done in connection with one’s role as a US government official. He had asked the court to delay any surrender or arrest in the meantime, but the judge refused.
More background: Meadows was Trump’s final White House chief of staff, and he played a key role in exploring ways to overturn the 2020 election. In addition to the infamous phone call with Raffensperger, he attended a December 2020 White House meeting where Trump considered using the military to seize voting machines.
Emails show that he also urged Justice Department officials to investigate shoddy fraud allegations, though that is not part of the charges.
CNN’s Dan Berman and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.