Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in Georgia 2020 election interference case

(Brynn Anderson/Associated Press)

Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in Georgia 2020 election interference case

Election 2024

KATE BRUMBACK

March 13, 2024

The judge overseeing the Georgia 2020 election interference case dismissed a number of charges against the former president on Wednesday

Donald

Trump and others, but many points in the sweeping racketeering indictment remain intact.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote in an order that six of the charges in the indictment should be dismissed, including three against Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee. But he left other charges in place, and he said prosecutors could file new charges against the charges he dismissed.

The ruling is a blow to Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis, whose case is already on shaky ground with an attempt to remove her from prosecution over her romantic relationship with a co-worker. It’s the first time charges have been dismissed in any of Trump’s four criminal cases, with the judge saying prosecutors failed to provide enough details about the alleged crime.

Judge in Trump Georgia case sets hearing on misconduct claims against Fani Willis

The sweeping indictment accuses Trump and more than a dozen other defendants of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The case uses a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a criminal enterprise to keep him in power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Willis also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The six charges in question involve soliciting elected officials to violate their oaths of office. That includes two charges related to Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican.

Prosecutor Fani Willis acknowledges ‘personal relationship’ with prosecutor she hired in Trump’s Georgia case

All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, Trump said on that call.

The ruling comes as McAfee considers an attempt to disqualify Willis from the case over what attorneys say is a conflict of interest due to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis, who has said their relationship ended months ago, has said there is no conflict of interest and no reason to remove her from the case.

The Georgia district attorney prosecuting Trump has been subpoenaed over claims of inappropriate relationships

The nearly 100-page indictment details dozens of actions by Trump or his allies to overturn his defeat, including harassing an election worker who faced false claims of fraud and attempting to convince Georgia lawmakers to overturn the will of voters to ignore and appoint a new list of voters.

e

lecturer

c

ollege voters favorable to Trump.

Other suspects include the former White House

c

said of

S

stalwart Mark Meadows; Trump lawyer and former mayor of New York

Rudy Rudolf W.

Giuliani; and a Trump administration Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, who helped the then-president’s efforts to overturn his election loss in Georgia. They have pleaded not guilty.

McAfee’s order leaves Meadows facing only a RICO charge. Jim Durham, an attorney for Meadows, declined to comment.

Brumback writes for the Associated Press.

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