Georgia election hearing updates: Court adjourns with no decision yet in Meadows case

Mark Meadows took the stand on Monday.

ByOlivia Rubin, Emily Shapiro, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: August 28, 2023, 5:06 PM EDT

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, charged along with 18 others in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, took the stand on Monday to try to have his trial moved from state to federal court.

Among other charges, the indictment cites Meadows' role in the infamous Jan. 2, 2021, phone call then-President Donald Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger -- actions that Meadows argues he took as a federal official acting "under color" of his office.

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Aug 28, 2023, 6:09 AM EDT

Other defendants keeping 'close eye' on proceedings

As Meadows heads to court Monday, multiple sources close to some of the 18 other Georgia defendants -- which include Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani -- have told ABC News that the legal teams for many of the defendants will be keeping a "close eye" on the proceedings, with some even sending people to watch in person.

Many involved in the case are uncertain what the ramifications would be if Meadows' case is moved to federal court, the sources said, and whether it would bring along all 19 defendants or leave their cases in state court.

"It is completely untested," one attorney for a defendant in the case told ABC News.

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