ATLANTA (AP) — Former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark and former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer, who were indicted last week along with former President Donald Trump, have filed paperwork to transfer the case to federal court.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last week obtained a 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 other people, who are accused of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn his narrow election loss in Georgia in the November 2020 general election. Trump’s bond has been set at $200,000 and he has said he will surrender to authorities in Fulton County on Thursday.
Lawyers for Clark argued in a court filing Monday that he was a high-ranking Justice Department official and the actions described in the indictment “relate directly to his work at the Justice Department as well as with the former President of the United States.” Shafer’s attorneys argued that his conduct “stems directly from his service as a Presidential Elector nominee.”
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows last week made similar arguments in a federal court filing, saying his actions were taken in service to his White House role.
Clark was a staunch supporter of Trump’s false claims of election fraud and in December 2020 presented colleagues with a draft letter pushing Georgia officials to convene a special legislative session on the election results, according to testimony before the U.S. House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Clark wanted the letter sent, but Justice Department superiors refused.
Shafer was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Joe Biden had won the state and a slate of Democratic electors was certified.
Separately, bail bondsman Scott Hall, who was accused of participating in a breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County, turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on Tuesday morning. His bond was set at $10,000.
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