The North Carolina Department of Justice says there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges against Mark Meadows or his wife Debra Meadows for alleged voter fraud involving the 2020 election.
“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. After a thorough review, my office has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges against either of them in this matter,” Attorney General Josh Stein stated in a release on Dec. 30.
Allegations of voter fraud were first published in March 2022 in the New Yorker. Meadows and his wife, Debbie, registered to vote at a Scaly Mountain residence despite never having lived there. Voter records show they both voted in Macon County in the November 2020 general election while registered at the Scaly Mountain address.
The Macon County Board of Elections removed Mark Meadows from its rolls on April 11 after documentation indicated he lived in Virginia and voted in the 2021 election there.
The case was referred to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, which submitted its final case files to the North Carolina Department of Justice in early November.
According to the DOJ, key facts that led to the decision to not file charges include:
• Meadows was engaged in public service in Washington, DC, and therefore qualified for a residency exception pursuant to NCGS § 163-57(8).
• Meadows and his wife signed a year-long lease for the Scaly Mountain residence that was provided by their landlord.
• Cell phone records showed Mrs. Meadows was in and around Scaly Mountain in October 2020.
“Mr. Meadows has made numerous unfounded, damaging allegations about voter fraud both before and after the 2020 election. 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,” Stein said. “This attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power represents one of the most significant assaults on our democracy in the 246-year history of our nation. The appropriate authorities will now fully vet these referrals. I urge federal prosecutors to hold accountable every single person who engaged in a conspiracy to put our democracy at risk.”
Stein went on to say that the matters related to Jan. 6 are not relevant to the voter fraud allegations. “My office has concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt against either Mr. or Mrs. Meadows, so my office will not prosecute this case. 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.”