Meadows defends actions as he testifies in federal court
"Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Monday took the stand in an Atlanta courtroom in a bid to move his Fulton County racketeering case to federal court.
In testimony that lasted almost three hours, Meadows gave his first public defense of his actions on behalf of former President Donald Trump in the weeks after the 2020 election.
“I don’t know that I did anything that was outside my scope as chief of staff,” Meadows testified.
The silver-haired former Republican congressman, wearing a navy suit and striped tie, fielded questions from his attorney, George Terwilliger III, special prosecutor Anna Cross and Steve Jones, the U.S. District Court judge overseeing the hearing.
Dozens of reporters crowded into the hearing room. Attorneys for several of the other 19 defendants also sat in, including Steve Sadow and Jennifer Little, Trump’s two Atlanta attorneys.
Meadows’ testimony concluded in the afternoon.
He has been charged with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law and of felony solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.
While most criminal defense lawyers are loath to have their clients testify, Meadows was the first witness called to the stand during Monday’s evidentiary hearing, which is essentially a mini bench trial.
Over the course of his testimony, Meadows repeatedly emphasized that he was acting squarely in his role as the president’s top aide in each one of the eight incidents – called overt acts – outlined in the indictment. His justifications ranged from being a gatekeeper to Trump’s schedule to making sure the president was informed of developments of interest
There was a federal interest, he said, in the fair and accurate administration of state elections.
Under cross-examination Cross pressed Meadows on whether he was acting on behalf of Trump’s re-election campaign – rather than as a federal employee.
Becoming more defensive, Meadows said he wanted, “to make sure elections are accurate.”
“I would assume that has a federal nexus,” he said.
He also sought to establish that as chief of staff he would regularly meet with state officials on a variety of topics and that he was a frequent presence on Trump’s phone calls.
Meadows is one 19 people charged in Fulton County’s election interference prosecution and one of five who is seeking to move his case to federal court.
To win a removal motion, defendants have to clear three hurdles: show that they were a federal official at the time of the alleged offense, show their alleged criminal behavior was carried out as part of their official duties and show they can raise “a colorable federal defense.” Legal experts say that is a fairly low threshold to clear if valid arguments can be made."
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