North Carolina AG won't press charges against Meadows over voter registration

The North Carolina Department of Justice will not bring charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows or his wife, Debra, over allegations that they were illegally registered to vote in the state, the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office announced on Friday.

In 2020, Meadows registered to vote in North Carolina three weeks ahead of the state’s registration deadline using the address of a mobile home he did not own or live in at the time, according to reporting from The New Yorker published in March.

“The State Bureau of Investigation conducted an extensive investigation into the fraud allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Meadows concerning their registration and voting in the 2020 elections,” said a statement from the office of Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat. “After a thorough review, my office has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges against either of them in this matter.”

It’s a small victory for Meadows, at a time when he could use one. The former Trump aide was repeatedly named in the newly released transcripts from the Jan. 6 committee investigation, which detail texts between Meadows and Donald Trump Jr.; reports that he burned documents in his office fireplace in the weeks leading up to the insurrection; and references to his Secret Service codename, “Leverage.”

In its statement, the North Carolina Attorney General’s office called Meadows out for his role in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and efforts to overturn the 2020 election by claiming there was significant voter fraud. That role, however, was not closely relevant enough to the allegations of voter fraud at issue in the state, the office said.

But Meadows may not be completely off the hook.

“If further information relevant to the allegations of voter fraud comes to light in any subsequent investigation or prosecution by authorities in other jurisdictions, we reserve the right to reopen this matter,” the office said.