Mark Meadows, who served as President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, took the stand Monday to fight the criminal charges against him in a federal court rather than a Georgia state court.

Attorneys for Mr. Meadows say his trial should be moved to federal court because his actions were carried out as “part of his service as chief of staff.”

On the stand, Mr. Meadows repeated that argument, telling the court that his post-2020 election activities fell under his official duties as chief of staff. As part of that role, he had to make sure Mr. Trump focused on the 2020 campaign, he said.

“There was a political component to certainly everything we did,” Mr. Meadows testified, adding that he was invited to “almost every meeting the president had.”

Ahead of Mr. Meadows’ court appearance, a Georgia state court scheduled his arraignment along with the arraignment of Mr. Trump and 17 other defendants in the case for Sept. 6.

The arraignments will begin at 9:30 a.m., starting with Mr. Trump.

Each arraignment will be held at 15-minute intervals, though it’s unclear whether the defendants will appear in person or via Zoom. Georgia state courts often allow arraignments via Zoom or permit defendants to waive their arraignment.

The defendants have been charged in a sweeping indictment accusing them of racketeering and other crimes while trying to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Prosecutors working for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis have argued that Mr. Meadows’ actions were illegal under the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by federal employees. They argue that his actions were meant to keep Mr. Trump in office, making them explicitly political.

Mr. Meadows is accused of participating in meetings or communications with state lawmakers in an effort to keep Mr. Trump in power. He also participated in a January 2021 phone call between Mr. Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which the former president asked the state official to “find” the votes necessary for him to win the Peach State, according to court filings.

• This story is based in part on wire reports.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.