In another turn of events that could possibly reshape the legal landscape surrounding former President Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, Trump’s last chief of staff, was reportedly granted immunity to testify under oath. Meadows’ cooperation with Special Counsel Jack Smith could set the stage for his possible role as a key witness against the former president.
Sources with knowledge of the matter told ABC News about Meadows’ cooperation with the prosecution.
Former President Donald Trump's final chief of staff in the White House, Mark Meadows, has spoken with special counsel Jack Smith's team at least three times this year, including once before a federal grand jury, which came only after Smith granted Meadows immunity to testify under oath, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said Meadows informed Smith's team that he repeatedly told Trump in the weeks after the 2020 presidential election that the allegations of significant voting fraud coming to them were baseless, a striking break from Trump's prolific rhetoric regarding the election.
According to the sources, Meadows also told the federal investigators Trump was being "dishonest" with the public when he first claimed to have won the election only hours after polls closed on Nov. 3, 2020, before final results were in.
"Obviously we didn't win," a source quoted Meadows as telling Smith's team in hindsight.
Trump has called Meadows, one of the former president's closest and highest-ranking aides in the White House, a "special friend" and "a great chief of staff -- as good as it gets."
Meadows is also facing charges in Georgia related to alleged efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
On Jan. 2, 2021, Meadows helped set up the now-infamous phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, during which Trump pressed Raffensberger to "find 11,780 votes ... because we won the state."
Meadows has said publicly that he essentially introduced everyone on the call -- which is corroborated by transcripts of the call that were made public -- and he has said he was simply trying to help them resolve a dispute over Georgia's election results.
Of particular note is that Meadows was asked if Trump had ever acknowledged losing the election. The former chief of staff indicated he had never heard the former president say he knew he lost the race.
Another issue in Meadows’ case is that he published a book to “correct the record” on what happened in 2020 and repeated assertions that Trump actually won the election, which he referred to as “stolen” and “rigged.” What he told investigators directly contradicts claims he made previously. He told the authorities that he never saw any evidence of fraud that would have prevented President Joe Biden from winning.
So, what does this mean for Trump? Meadows’ deal with Smith might cause some issues for the former president’s chances of avoiding conviction in the federal case. But since Meadows is also being indicted by Fulton County, Georgia, it is also possible that he might work out a similar deal related to the state’s charges, which could further complicate matters for the former president. Four of his co-defendants have already taken plea deals in which they will be subject to more lenient sentences in exchange for testimony.
As someone who was close to Trump, Meadows could present a stronger possibility that the prosecution can convince a jury to convict the former president. He was privy to the inner workings of the controversy over the 2020 election and could provide some valuable testimony for the federal and Georgia state prosecutors. On the other hand, his insistence that Trump never acknowledged losing the election could also help the former president’s defense.