- Net worth
- Unknown
- Crimes
- fake electors, obstruction, other
- Convicted of
- Preemptive pardon for potential federal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election
- Original sentence
- N/A (preemptive pardon; no federal conviction)
- Time served
- N/A
U.S. House of Representatives / Public domain
Background
Mark Randall Meadows is a former U.S. Representative from North Carolina's 11th congressional district (2013-2020) who served as White House Chief of Staff under President Trump from March 2020 to January 2021. He was a founding member and former chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
The Case
Meadows was never federally charged or convicted, but he received a preemptive federal pardon from President Trump in November 2025 as part of a batch of 77 pardons for allies involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The pardon was described as "full, complete, and unconditional" but was largely symbolic since presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes and Meadows had no federal convictions.
As White House Chief of Staff, Meadows played a central role in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He had firsthand knowledge of attempts to undermine the election, including meeting with Georgia state officials about alleged election fraud. He was held in criminal contempt of Congress in December 2021 for refusing to comply with a January 6 Select Committee subpoena, though the Justice Department declined to prosecute.
Meadows faces state criminal charges in Georgia (indicted in August 2023 for participating in an illegal scheme to keep Trump in power) and Arizona (indicted in April 2024 for conspiracy, fraud, and forgery related to attempts to overturn the election). The Supreme Court denied his efforts to move the Georgia case to federal court in 2024. These state charges are not affected by the federal pardon.
The Pardon
On November 9, 2025, President Trump granted Meadows a full pardon along with 76 other allies tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The pardon was issued preemptively, before any federal charges were filed. Government pardon attorney Ed Martin posted the signed proclamation on social media. The proclamation described efforts to prosecute those accused of aiding Trump's efforts to cling to power as "a grave national injustice perpetrated on the American people" and said the pardons were designed to continue "the process of national reconciliation."