Donald Trump’s Mark Meadows’ risky move under oath could backfire – What do you think?

Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows made a “very, very risky” move by making comments under oath before his trial, according to attorney and former prosecutor Christopher M. Mattei.

Mattei appeared on MSNBC’s American Voices with Alicia Menendez on Saturday and was asked why Meadows would risk taking the stand for four hours for a procedural hearing.

“It is very risky to have someone who has been charged with the types of serious crimes that Mark Meadows has been charged with take the stand under oath,” Mattei said. “I think what his legal team probably thought was that he had already done well in the run up to the Jack Smith indictment, and escaped indictment there.”

Mattei further noted that the gamble may have been worth it since Meadows’ legal defense is “not going to be contesting facts, but rather to say that everything he did was within his responsibilities as chief of staff.”

“As long as he maintains that position, he doesn’t have to fight over the facts. But it is a high-risk strategy, because anytime somebody takes the stand in a criminal proceeding, all that evidence can be used against them,” Mattei said. “I think it would be much riskier to do that in front of the jury, which would have the opportunity to assess his credibility right there in the courtroom. And that’s often a very uncomfortable situation.”

In other words, Meadows’ legal team is hoping that by taking the stand and testifying under oath, they can establish that he was simply doing his job as chief of staff and that he did not break any laws. However, this is a risky strategy, as any missteps or inconsistencies in Meadows’ testimony could be used against him by the prosecution.

Only time will tell whether Meadows’ gamble will pay off. But one thing is for sure: it was a risky move that could have serious consequences for his case.