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HomeLocalJudge Dismisses Two Counts Against Trump in Election RICO Case; Eight Charges...

Judge Dismisses Two Counts Against Trump in Election RICO Case; Eight Charges Still Stand

 

 

Georgia judge dismisses 2 charges against Donald Trump in election racketeering case; 8 charges remain


A judge in Georgia dismissed two out of the ten criminal charges against former President Donald Trump on Thursday, related to his election racketeering case.

 

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee determined that state prosecutors lacked the authority to charge Trump with filing false documents and conspiracy to file such documents in a federal lawsuit he initiated.

Initially, Trump faced 13 charges. Judge McAfee had previously dismissed three charges, leaving Trump with eight charges still pending.

Trump’s attorney, Steve Sadow, remarked that the judge’s decision indicates that Trump and his legal team “have succeeded yet again.”

 

A representative for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not reply immediately to a request for comment.

 

Trump, along with 14 co-defendants who have all entered not guilty pleas, is accused of conspiring to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 election. Four of his co-defendants have previously admitted guilt.

 

The case is currently paused while Judge McAfee awaits a decision from the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, regarding a request to remove Willis from the case due to her romantic involvement with another prosecutor on her team. A hearing is set for October. Her removal could cause significant delays in the legal proceedings.

The indictment initially accused Trump of making false claims in a federal lawsuit, asserting, among other allegations, that 2,560 felons had voted illegally, 66,247 underage individuals had cast ballots, and 10,315 deceased persons had voted.

 

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, testified before Congress that investigations found only four ballots registered to deceased individuals, no votes from underage individuals, and fewer than 74 ballots cast by individuals still serving felony sentences.

“The facts are the facts. The figures do not lie,” Raffensperger stated. “We thoroughly verified every single claim and pursued every lead to ensure our data was correct.”

However, Judge McAfee ruled that the federal lawsuit in Georgia was not within the jurisdiction of local prosecutors.

 

A similar charge related to this lawsuit was also dismissed for John Eastman, who acted as Trump’s attorney in the federal case. Eastman now faces five remaining charges.

 

Additionally, McAfee dismissed one charge against each of three defendants accused of falsifying documents to pose as GOP presidential electors for Georgia, in light of President Joe Biden winning the state.

The charge alleged that former Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, state Senator Shawn Still, and Cathleen Latham filed fraudulent documents claiming to be Georgia’s electors. McAfee ruled that, due to the absence of state certification, the alleged offense falls under federal jurisdiction.