The Daily Fuckup

On Aug. 25 and 26, 2022, Fulton County prosecutors sought testimony from Mark Meadows and other Trump-linked figures as part of the Georgia election-interference investigation. The filings were part of the special purpose grand jury’s work, which was focused on gathering evidence and hearing from witnesses, not issuing indictments itself.

Meadows, Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff, was among the most closely watched witnesses because of his role near the center of the post-election effort. Prosecutors were trying to build a record from people who had been involved in, or close to, the push to challenge Georgia’s 2020 election result. At that stage, the process was still about obtaining testimony and documents, not announcing charges.

The Georgia investigation had already drawn in other Trump allies, including lawyers and political operatives tied to efforts to overturn the election. Seeking testimony from Meadows and others showed prosecutors were still working outward from the former president’s circle, lining up witnesses and evidence before any charging decision could be made.

That made the August filings notable even if they were not dramatic in courtroom terms. The case was moving through a fact-finding phase, and the grand jury process was giving prosecutors a way to press for answers from people who were close to the effort under scrutiny. For Trump and his allies, the significance was not that the investigation had ended. It was that it was still widening.