Trump says he hopes Meadows will remain ‘loyal’ to him in election case
FORMER US President Donald Trump said he hoped Mark Meadows — his final White House chief of staff and a co-defendant in a sweeping racketeering indictment in Georgia stemming from efforts to thwart the 2020 election — was still “loyal” to him.
Trump made his comment during a lengthy interview with Kristen Welker, the new moderator of NBC’s Meet The Press, broadcast on Sunday morning.
Trump has been warned by the federal judge in a case also stemming from his efforts to stay in office, brought against him by the special counsel Jack Smith, to avoid saying anything that might affect the testimony of witnesses. His comment about Meadows could attract new interest.
A lawyer for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Both Meadows and Trump are among 19 co-defendants in the Fulton County, Georgia, indictment brought by District Attorney Fani Willis. It accuses those charged with a criminal conspiracy to overturn Trump’s loss in the state in his reelection effort.
“By the way, do you think your former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is still loyal to you? He just pleaded not guilty in the Georgia case,” Welker asked.
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“Well, I hope he’s loyal to me,” Trump said.
“Do you worry about him flipping?” Welker asked.
“I mean, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump replied.
Legal experts have suggested that prosecutors may push to have some of the defendants in the case plead guilty and become witnesses against others involved.
Trump recorded the interview with Welker late last week.
On Friday, a day after the interview, prosecutors asked the judge in the federal election interference case, Tanya Chutkan, for a limited gag order against Trump after weeks of attacks on the special counsel, among others.
Trump attacked Smith again shortly after the request was made, writing on his social media site, “I’m campaigning for President against an incompetent person who has WEAPONIZED the DOJ & FBI to go after his Political Opponent, & I am not allowed to COMMENT? How else would I explain that Jack Smith is DERANGED, or Crooked Joe is INCOMPETENT?”
Chutkan has yet to rule on the request. NYTIMES
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