- Former President Donald Trump will not stand trial next month along with two of his co-defendants whose cases were separated in the sprawling election interference case in Georgia.
- Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee granted requests from Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell to sever their criminal cases from Trump and 16 other co-defendants.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been indicted on federal charges related to attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, faces reporters as he arrives in Washington on August 3, 2023 at Reagan Washington National Airport in nearby Arlington, Virginia, USA , leaves.
Pool | Via Reuters
Former President Donald Trump will not stand trial next month along with two of his co-defendants, whose criminal cases in the sprawling election interference case in Georgia were dismissed by a judge on Thursday.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee granted requests from Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell to separate their criminal cases from the 17 other co-defendants charged in Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation.
But McAfee rejected an attempt by Chesebro and Powell to separate their cases, meaning they will both face the same trial on October 23.
The verdict is a blow to Georgia prosecutors, who wanted to keep all 19 co-defendants together in the case.
McAfee wrote in his order that the separation of Chesebro and Powell was “simply a procedural and logistical inevitability.”
“There is simply no courtroom in the Fulton County Courthouse large enough to accommodate all 19 defendants, their numerous attorneys and deputies, sheriff’s deputies, court staff and the prosecution team,” McAfee wrote.
Willis’ 41-count indictment accuses all 19 defendants of violating Georgia’s protection racket law and other crimes as part of an illegal conspiracy to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Chesebro, a lawyer who allegedly helped trick fake voter registrars into casting their votes for Trump, is charged with seven counts. Powell, a pro-Trump lawyer, also faces seven charges, including two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud.
Trump faces 13 criminal charges in Georgia, one of four active criminal cases hanging over him as he runs for president again in 2024. All Georgia defendants have pleaded not guilty.
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Chesebro and Powell are the only two defendants who requested a speedy trial in Georgia. McAfee noted in Thursday’s order that any other defendants who request a speedy trial before Oct. 23 will immediately join Chesebro and Powell in the courtroom.
For Trump and the 16 other co-defendants, McAfee set a timeline that required all applications to be filed by December 1st.
The judge has not yet set a trial date for them – but he noted that his court has “received assurances that other members of the Fulton County bench are prepared to begin a second trial within the November-December term.”
