The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case has dismissed some of the charges against former President Donald Trump, but others remain.
Quick Read
- A Georgia judge has dismissed some charges against former President Donald Trump in the election interference case, while others remain.
- The dismissed charges are related to soliciting elected officials to violate their oaths of office.
- Among the dismissed charges are two tied to Trump’s January 2, 2021, phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
- Former President Donald Trump’s statement: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” is part of a case accusing him and 18 others of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
- The ruling on dismissing some charges does not end the entire case, leaving other charges intact.
- Judge McAfee is also considering a motion to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case due to an alleged conflict of interest stemming from her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The Associated Press has the story:
Judge overseeing Georgia election interference case dismisses some charges against Trump
Newslooks- ATLANTA (AP) —
The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case has dismissed some of the charges against former President Donald Trump, but others remain.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote Wednesday in an order that six of the charges in the indictment must be quashed, including three against Trump. But the order leave intact many other charges in the indictment and the judge wrote that prosecutors could seek a new indictment on the charges he dismissed.
The six charges in question have to do with soliciting elected officials to violate their oaths of office. That includes two charges related to the phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, on Jan. 2, 2021.
“All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump said.
The case accuses Trump and 18 others of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
The ruling comes as McAfee is also considering a bid by defendants to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the case. Defendants have alleged that Willis has a conflict of interest because of her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The nearly 100-page indictment details dozens of acts by Trump or his allies to undo his defeat, including harassing an election worker who faced false claims of fraud and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of Electoral College electors favorable to Trump.
Other defendants include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; Trump attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; and a Trump administration Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, who aided the then-president’s efforts to undo his election loss in Georgia. They have pleaded not guilty.
McAfee’s order leaves Meadows facing only a RICO charge. Jim Durham, a lawyer for Meadows, declined to comment.
