North Carolina attorney general calls for investigation into Mark Meadows following voter fraud allegation

Trump’s chief of staff amplified baseless voter fraud conspiracy theories around 2020 election

North Carolina’s attorney general has requested an investigation into former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows – who pursued a baseless narrative of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election – following allegations that he illegally cast a ballot from an address he doesn’t use.

The probe from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations follows revelations in The New Yorker that Mr Meadows, who represented the state in Congress from 2013 to 2020, had registered to vote using an address at a rental home where he allegedly does not nor has ever lived.

A spokesperson for the office of North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said the office requested the probe alongside the state Board of Elections “and at the conclusion of the investigation, we’ll review their findings”.

North Carolina NBC affiliate WRAL News reported that Mr Meadows and his wife registered to vote at that address in September 2020, and requested mail-in ballots in 2016 and 2020 to be delivered to the Washington DC area.

The state’s voter registration form asks specifically for the address “where you physically live”. As of 18 March, Mr Meadows remains registered at that address.

In the months leading up to and following the 2020 presidential election, and before a single ballot was cast, the Trump administration repeatedly sought to discredit absentee voting efforts, claiming without evidence that voting by mail is a “disaster” and “out of control” and used by Democratic officials to “rig” and “steal” the election.

Mr Trump also has voted by mail using his address in Florida.

On at least five occasions, Mr Meadows sought to pressure officials at the US Department of Justice to investigate election fraud conspiracy theories, including debunked allegations amplified by QAnon groups that fuelled mob violence at the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021.

A PowerPoint presentation bearing the exact title as one that Mr Meadows turned over to a House select committee investigating the attack included spurious allegations that China had effective control of American voting machines and urged the declaration of a “national security emergency” as a pretext for throwing out election results in several US states.

In December, the US House of Representatives voted to hold Mr Meadows in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee.

No charges have been filed against Mr Meadows in the North Carolina case. The Independent has requested comment from an attorney representing him.