Mark Meadows, chief of staff to then-President Donald Trump, and his wife, Debra, will not face charges in North Carolina regarding alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, said Friday there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against Meadows and his wife.
"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," Stein said in a news release. "After a thorough review, my office has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges against either of them in this matter."
Mark Meadows, a steadfast defender of Trump's claims about rampant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, came under scrutiny when details emerged he was registered to vote in North Carolina and two other states.
In March, The New Yorker reported Meadows, a former Republcian U.S. representative from North Carolina, registered to vote three weeks before the state's deadline for the 2020 election, using the address of a mobile home in Scaly Mountain which he allegedly did not own.
But the state DOJ said Meadows and his wife signed a yearlong lease for the residence that was provided by their landlord, and cellphone records showed Debra Meadows was in and around Scaly Mountain in October 2020. Plus, because Mark Meadows was engaged in public service in Washington, he qualified for a residency exception.
Stein devoted much of his statement to criticize Meadows for his alleged role in the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and for supporting Trump's claims of voter fraud. Meadows was prominently featured in the final report of the House Select Committee's investigation of the riot.
"Mr. Meadows has made numerous unfounded, damaging allegations about voter fraud both before and after the 2020 election," Stein said. "In addition, in its referral to the United States Department of Justice, the bipartisan January 6th congressional committee named Mr. Meadows as a likely co-conspirator over his central role in the January 6th insurrection."
But Stein said, "none of the matters involving January 6th, however, are relevant to the specific allegations of voter fraud concerning Mr. and Mrs. Meadows that were referred to my office for review."
He added, "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."
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