Georgia prosecutor rejects assertion by Trump attorney that suggested August trial date constitutes election interference
Fulton County District counsel Fani Willis, who is leading the Georgia election subversion case against former President Donald Trump and his associates, called it “ridiculous” to imply that holding a trial in August would constitute “election interference,” as Trump’s counsel did.
During a preliminary hearing last week, Trump’s attorney, Steve Sadow, argued that if Trump wins the 2024 election, his trial in Fulton County should be delayed until he leaves office.
Georgia prosecutors rebutted Sadow’s claim that having a trial in August would be “election interference,” stating they had no intention of “getting involved” in the presidential race.
Willis also refuted Sadow’s claim when CNN reporters caught up with her at an event honoring Black Americans hosted by digital media publisher The Root in New York on Tuesday.
“I think it’s ridiculous; we’ve been conducting that investigation since 2021,” Willis said of Sadow’s assertions to CNN. “The investigation has taken the normal course and we’re at the point that the investigation naturally took us to.”
Prosecutors in Fulton County want Trump and his co-defendants’ trial to begin in early August, which would coincide with the start of his presidential campaign if he gets the Republican nominee.
“Ultimately, the judge will set the date.” The date will not be determined by the district attorney’s office. Willis told CNN, “We tried to be respectful in our request of other jurisdictions where one of the defendants in the case had to be present.”
Last week, Sadow stated in court that if Trump, the Republican nominee, gets re-elected, “under the Supremacy Clause and its duty to the president of the United States, this trial would not take place at all until after he left his term of office.”
The unprecedented indictment of Trump and 18 co-defendants, which includes felony racketeering charges for attempting to change the results of the 2020 presidential election, is one of several criminal cases facing the former president.
Since the indictment, four of the co-defendants, including three of Trump’s former attorneys, have struck plea deals with prosecutors in exchange for keeping out of jail. The remaining 15 defendants have pled not guilty, including Trump.
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