Mark Meadows landed a surprise punch on Monday by taking the stand himself in Fulton County in an attempt to move his case to federal court, where he has already requested the federal court to dismiss his charges.
At any rate, a move from Fulton County to a federal court would provide a more favorable jury pool that expands into a larger 10-county Atlanta area, and also could mean his fellow co-defendants in the case may follow.
Meadows’ attorney described him as an “alter ego” of Trump and insisted that he was consistently acting as a “federal authority” of the executive branch.
In closing statements, his counsel argued that Meadows was juggling competing interests in the final weeks of the Trump presidency. Among them was “landing the plane” before January 6, when Congress tallied Electoral College votes, so the administration could “get on to the peaceful transfer of power.”
Meadows testified before U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee, and said there was a “federal nexus” to all of his actions that managed the president’s schedule.
Judge Jones acknowledged that he was likely going to take his time in issuing a ruling, noting he thinks the ruling will set precedent for other cases.
“If I don’t rule by September 6, then he should show up for the arraignment,” Jones said of Meadows.