A Georgia judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case has dropped two counts against Trump, but he still faces eight charges, including a violation of Georgia’s racketeering act. Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee ruled that the state prosecutors lacked the authority to bring one count of filing false documents and one count of conspiring to file false documents against Trump. This reduction in charges comes after an initial 13 charges were brought against Trump, which have now been reduced to eight, including the racketeering charge, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, and conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree.
The case has been slowed down by an appeal from Trump and his co-defendants challenging Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ role as the leading prosecutor in the case. Despite this setback, Trump’s lawyer Steve Sadow characterized the dropped charges as a win for Trump and his legal team. In total, there were 41 combined charges brought against Trump and 18 co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and John Eastman. Since the case began last year, nine counts have been dropped, leaving Trump and his co-defendants facing a total of 32 charges.
In a separate trial in New York, Trump’s sentencing date in his hush money trial has been scheduled for after the election. Judge Juan Merchan granted a delay request from the former president, who faces 34 felony counts in this case related to a hush money payment made by his former attorney Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to cover up affair allegations prior to the 2016 election. McAfee has previously dropped charges against Trump in March, when three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer were dismissed. The former president and his co-defendants were indicted for alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, with some co-defendants reaching plea agreements.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to his charges and has argued for Willis to be dropped as the case’s top prosecutor due to her financial and romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis’ disqualification hearing is scheduled for October, potentially delaying the election interference case beyond Election Day. This case has raised questions about the application of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which was used to charge Trump and his allies in the Georgia election interference case. As the legal proceedings continue, Trump and his co-defendants are preparing to face the remaining charges and navigate the complexities of both the Georgia case and the hush money trial in New York.
