Meadows takes stand in bid to transfer Georgia election case to federal court

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows testified Monday in his effort to have his 2020 election interference case in Georgia move from a state to federal court – arguing at times he was only following his duty as a federal employee and had only a "general awareness" on what President Trump and others were doing in Georgia. 

Meadows is among 19 co-defendants charged earlier this month in Georgia's Fulton County of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in the state, in which he lost reelection. 

Meadows, who also argued he believed his efforts in Georgia were with the scope of his chief of staff duties, as of midday had testified for roughly three hours, according to CNN. 

He also said on the stand there were some elements of the effort to get enough votes in a recount effort for Trump to win Georgia that he just learned about, according to ABC News. 

Meadows's attorneys indicated in a legal filing obtained by The Washington Post before the hearing that they hope U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones, an Obama appointee presiding over the hearing, will decide whether to move Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' case against their client to the federal system.

The attorneys also reportedly plan to quickly take up a second motion asking the court to dismiss the charges brought against Meadows for allegedly trying to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential results in favor of former President Donald Trump.

Meadows plans on arguing that he was acting as a federal official when he allegedly attempted to challenge the 2020 election results and he is protected under federal law.

Four of Meadow's 18 co-defendants in the Georgia case have also sought to move the case to federal court: former Justice Department Official Jeffrey Clark, former Georgia GOP chairman David Shafer, Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still and former Coffee County GOP chairwoman Cathy Latham.

Jones had already denied Meadows' request to block his arrest in Fulton County as he attempted to move the proceedings against him to federal court. Meadows later agreed to post $100,000 in bail.

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