No process before the election
Trump trial in Georgia is put on hold
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After the hush money trial in New York, Donald Trump should actually soon be on trial in Georgia, where he is accused of election fraud. But his lawyers' delaying tactics were successful. Now the focus is on the responsible public prosecutor.
The responsible appeals court in the US state of Georgia has temporarily frozen the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump. Before things can go any further, a decision must be made as to whether the lead public prosecutor can continue her investigation, the court said. The three appeals judges – all appointed by Republicans – are expected to decide on the matter by March 2025. A first hearing is planned for October.
Lawyers for Trump and other defendants accuse prosecutor Fani Willis of unlawfully benefiting financially from a relationship with another prosecutor in the case, Nathan Wade. It is said that Wade was overpaid in his position and invited Willis on luxury vacations together. Willis rejects this.
Withdrawal of the prosecutor could end the proceedings
In March, the responsible judge, Scott McAfee, decided that the evidence from the other side was not sufficient to prove that the prosecutor had a conflict of interest. However, Wade withdrew from the proceedings due to what McAfee found to be an “appearance of impropriety.” Trump's side then filed an appeal, which the responsible court granted in May. However, Judge McAfee initially allowed the hearing to continue in his courtroom while the appeals court's ruling was still pending.
With Wednesday's interim decision, the process is now on hold. Once the appellate judges have ruled, it can then be appealed to the state Supreme Court. If Willis were removed from the case, the proceedings could collapse. It is also unclear what will happen if Trump wins the US presidential election in November.
The Republican and several other people are facing charges in Georgia over their attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the state. At that time, Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. He is accused of attempting to subsequently change the election results by, among other things, putting pressure on political leaders at the federal level and in states such as Georgia.
