WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows asked the Justice Department in early February to reimburse him for legal fees he incurred in multiple federal and state investigations into President Donald Trump. The request was made by Meadows's attorney, George Terwilliger.

Federal regulations authorize the Justice Department to provide counsel to current or former government officials or to reimburse them for private representation costs if they are involved in criminal, civil, or congressional proceedings related to their official duties. The department customarily weighs factors including whether the person was acting within official duties and whether reimbursement is in the interest of the United States. Historically, most requests for reimbursement are not honored if the employee did not seek reimbursement from the outset, although the Justice Department may make exceptions.

"On a case-by-case basis, the Department of Justice considers requests for private counsel reimbursement from current and former employees who face lawsuits that arise from their actions on behalf of the federal government," a Justice Department spokesperson said. "The Department assesses each request according to its regulations and provides reimbursement under established parameters," the spokesperson said. Decisions on whether to reimburse attorney fees are treated as privileged and not publicly disclosed.

Meadows was criminally charged in parallel state cases in Georgia and Arizona. The Georgia case was indicted in 2023. He was never charged in connection with Special Counsel Jack Smith's federal indictment against Trump over the 2020 election. In November, Trump pardoned Meadows and others, and the state prosecutor in Georgia dropped the charges shortly afterward. Meadows still faces proceedings in Arizona, where he was charged for his role in attempting to change the outcome of the 2020 election through the use of so-called fake electors.

Meadows is also seeking reimbursement for legal fees in the Georgia case under a state law that allows defendants to request reimbursement when a prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct, according to court filings. That law did not go into effect until May 2025. Lawyers for the county have argued that the reimbursement requests violate the Georgia constitution because they seek retroactive payment. The Georgia Court of Appeals is currently considering whether to accept the case. Meadows is one of several defendants seeking reimbursement totaling more than $17 million.

Court filings show Meadows paid the law firm Griffin Durham more than $569,000 for representation in the Georgia case. Lawyers from the firm McGuireWoods billed him nearly $1.3 million, of which he paid nearly $650,000, according to a sworn statement from Terwilliger. Meadows also paid a flat fee of $200,000 to Paul Clement, a former Justice Department appellate lawyer who represented him in an attempt to transfer his state case to federal court. After leaving McGuireWoods and continuing to represent Meadows on the Georgia case and related matters including Jack Smith's investigations, Terwilliger charged Meadows a flat fee of $20,000 per month in 2024 and $12,000 per month in 2025, according to court filings.

The Justice Department is not expected to consider reimbursing Meadows for fees in the Georgia case until the state makes a determination. The department is also fielding separate claims, including from Trump's lawyers, who have sought $230 million in two administrative claims.