Mark Meadows, who served as Chief of Staff in former President Donald Trump's White House, took the witness stand during a pre-trial hearing in Fulton County, Georgia on Monday.
Meadows asked U.S. District Judge Steve Jones that his case be severed from the state-level RICO prosecution against Trump and 18 others brought by District Attorney Fani Willis and instead that it be moved to federal court.
Meadows must appear in Fulton County superior court for arraignment if he doesn't rule by Sept. 6, he said.
Four other co-defendants in the sprawling RICO case have asked that Judge Jones move their case to federal court - former President Trump is expected to do the same.
"He is arguing that because he was a federal officer acting as the direction of the president or in cahoots with the president, it'd be improper or unconstitutional for Fani Willis to prosecute him in state court That's a vehicle to get rid of the case entirely."
Moving the venue from a Georgia state court to a federal court could be advantageous for Meadows, Trump, and their co-defendants.
The jury pool would be expanded outside the immediate Atlanta area and the case would be overseen by a federal judge.
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