Georgia grand jury investigating Trump returns indictments

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Does this mean that the Democrats now have to say "Trump has been charged with 85 felonies?"

It's means that to be completely accurate, Trump's critics (a group to which all decent Americans, not just Democrats, should belong),  would now say, "Donald J. Trump was charged with 91 felonies, 3 of which were dropped after judicial review, meaning that between multiple states and the federal government he now faces only 88 felony charges."

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Honestly this is probably some proof the judge is fair, he would've dismissed many more or done so in a way that they can't be refiled if he was a Cannon-like hack.

[brucejoel99]

How in the world are we dismissing the charges related to the phone call to Raffensberger?!

https://twitter.com/anthonymkreis/status/1767923729156190531https://twitter.com/anthonymkreis/status/1767924378245681286

Judge McAfee seems to be a very fair judge.  I doubt that he'll let the fact that someone is running against him affect his decision.  (Is that naive?  Maybe so, but he seems like a good judge.)

Great judge whom challenging is a shame.

What would happen if he loses while the trial is going on

AFAIK the case gets randomly reassigned to another judge.

Regarding the dropped charges, this is such a case of getting off on a technicality that it's ridiculous. If you can only be charged with soliciting somebody to violate their oath of office just by using weasely language and not explicitly mentioning the oath itself, then what's the point of even having a broad oath to preserve/protect/whatever the constitution? I had a feeling this whole Fani Willis case was going to collapse under sheer incompetence so I can only hope this is just a legal mechanism for the charges to be re-filed with more specificity.

https://twitter.com/anthonymkreis/status/1767917732312264733https://twitter.com/anthonymkreis/status/1767929164760334453

Honestly this is probably some proof the judge is fair, he would've dismissed many more or done so in a way that they can't be refiled if he was a Cannon-like hack.

https://twitter.com/asfleischman/status/1767934456252207180

[emailking]

On a radio show, the judge said he gave himself a deadline (on Willis removal) because he knew everyone wants an answer and he believes he'll have an answer by the deadline. So I guess we're very likely finding out in the next 2 days!

[brucejoel99]

On a radio show,

the judge said he gave himself a deadline (on Willis removal) because he knew everyone wants an answer and he believes he'll have an answer by the deadline. So I guess we're very likely finding out in the next 2 days!

https://twitter.com/patrickodare1/status/1767236624650289470https://twitter.com/mucha_carlos/status/1767256383710265515

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Eh, state appellate court is definitely possible, but it should be pretty obviously that neither Biden or Trump are appointing him to a federal judgeship.

[Badger]

Judge McAfee seems to be a very fair judge.  I doubt that he'll let the fact that someone is running against him affect his decision.  (Is that naive?  Maybe so, but he seems like a good judge.)

Great judge whom challenging is a shame.

What would happen if he loses while the trial is going on

If he lost the election he of course would remain in office until the end of his term a couple months later. If the trial is still going on then- I'm honestly not sure? I can't believe I've never encountered this situation in nearly 30 years of practice! That said, I am rather certain that instead of declaring a mistrial with a replacement judge then he would be appointed to continue hearing the case. But that's just my guess.

[Arizona Iced Tea]

If Willis is disqualified does it mean Kemp can give the case to some random rural county where it gets killed off?

[brucejoel99]

If Willis is disqualified does it mean Kemp can give the case to some random rural county where it gets killed off?

The case goes to the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council & they pick some county DA or the State AG to transfer it to.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

If Willis is disqualified does it mean Kemp can give the case to some random rural county where it gets killed off?

The case goes to the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council & they pick some county DA or the State AG to transfer it to.

Isn't it kind of mostly agreed upon the DeKalb County DA office would take it over?

[GeorgiaModerate]

If Willis is disqualified does it mean Kemp can give the case to some random rural county where it gets killed off?

The case goes to the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council & they pick some county DA or the State AG to transfer it to.

Isn't it kind of mostly agreed upon the DeKalb County DA office would take it over?

It's been highly speculated that the DeKalb DA would be a logical choice, but I don't think there's anything official to suggest that it would be a sure thing.

[emailking]

Jim Jordan threatens Fani Willis with contempt if she doesn't comply with subpoena in federal funding probe
The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the DA's use of federal funds

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has threatened Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with contempt of Congress if Willis does not comply with a congressional subpoena as part of the committee's investigation into her office's use of federal funds.

The House Judiciary Committee in February issued a subpoena to Willis for documents related to her office's use of federal funds intended to support at-risk youth, according to a copy of the subpoena obtained by ABC News.

"While you have indicated that additional documents may be forthcoming in response to the Committee's subpoena, the Committee has yet to receive any additional responsive materials in the three weeks since your initial response," Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote in the letter, obtained by ABC News. "Accordingly, the Committee expects that you will produce all responsive documents to the subpoena in the categories prioritized by the Committee no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 28, 2024. If you fail to do so, the Committee will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings."

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jim-jordan-fani-willis-contempt-congress-comply-subpoena/story?id=108120431

[riceowl]

Fani has to either dismiss Wade or herself and the entire DA office from the case. Sounds easy.

[brucejoel99]

Fani has to either dismiss Wade or herself and the entire DA office from the case. Sounds easy.

https://twitter.com/BradMossEsq/status/1768622285651382400https://twitter.com/KatiePhang/status/1768620849932730765https://twitter.com/KatiePhang/status/1768622879313191383https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1768622586596929950https://twitter.com/BradMossEsq/status/1768623442461401243

[brucejoel99]

Link to the order:

https://twitter.com/AnnaBower/status/1768625531015065849https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1768625491827720402https://twitter.com/AnthonyMKreis/status/1768623922021298499https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1768624546435760352https://twitter.com/ASFleischman/status/1768629913655877713https://twitter.com/BradMossEsq/status/1768625176525070512https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1768626837674975585

[Landslide Lyndon]

So after all this, do we have any idea when is the trial is supposed to start?

[Hindsight was 2020]

So after all this, do we have any idea when is the trial is supposed to start?

Lol you thinking this will ever come to trial don’t be silly

[brucejoel99]

So after all this, do we have any idea when is the trial is supposed to start?

From 2 weeks ago:
https://twitter.com/AnnaBower/status/1763345832294678673

[wbrocks67]

Probably the best case for Willis, given I'm sure there would be 'lingering' questions about her and Wade if they both continued (i mean let's be honest with some people, those questions will never be gone), but Wade being knocked off gives her an out.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/hugolowell/status/1768625048447832323https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1768628344327704702https://twitter.com/ASFleischman/status/1768626284207411656https://twitter.com/ASFleischman/status/1768627417885573221https://twitter.com/ASFleischman/status/1768629206773092839https://twitter.com/GsuGrinding/status/1768627480414343604https://twitter.com/GsuGrinding/status/1768630872595398700https://twitter.com/GsuGrinding/status/1768628568265797789https://twitter.com/GsuGrinding/status/1768631514227527918https://twitter.com/ASFleischman/status/1768631419113193561https://twitter.com/AnnaBower/status/1768631018326519890https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1768629220463333496

[wbrocks67]

I mean, once this clown show is over with, I don't think Willis would be against a gag order. I don't blame her for wanting to set the record straight up to this point

[brucejoel99]

Probably the best case for Willis, given I'm sure there would be 'lingering' questions about her and Wade if they both continued (i mean let's be honest with some people, those questions will never be gone), but Wade being knocked off gives her an out.

https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1768635371414245438

[Pres Mike]

Took long enough geez

[Dan the Roman]

I thought CNN's team and Kreis have the best takes which is that three things seem to be the case

1. There is a lack of linkage for the disqualification charge which was brought to be seriously entertained, namely that this whole thing has anything to do with Trump, or that Fani Willis had a Nathan Wade related motivation to pursue the Trump prosecution, or that this would skew the trial in any way.

2. Other issues have arisen, both direct - did Willis commit perjury? And indirect- were employees of the Fulton DA's office in contact with defense attorneys leaking information and gossip in an effort to manipulate them to settle personal score? After today there is no beyond reasonable doubt evidence for either, but everyone on CNN except for the 2018 D candidate for AG who dodged the question, made is abundantly clear they believed in the second of these if not the first.

3. Critically, even if there is no smoking gun and probably will not be one which comes out, there are clear signs from Judge McAfee's behavior that he has lost confidence in the state to tell the truth.

This is a real problem for him. Because if McAfee is convinced that Willis lied on the stand, it is impossible for him to preside over the rest of this process impartially if she remains on the case. On the other hand, without any clear proof other than the intuitive common sense reaction of having watched this testimony play out and not being a moron, it is a major step for McAfee to disqualify Fani Willis because he does not personally trust her to tell the truth to him, rather than on the basis of the disqualification motion that was brought or a criminal charge of perjury.

I think there is a non-zero chance we get a new judge because if McAfee cannot justify removing Willis and Fulton County, but cannot trust a word they say, he may have no choice but to remove himself.

Today was a bad day for McAfee because it became transparently obvious Bradley was lying in his current testimony, and the only reasons for him to have done so almost all point to covering for others.

So I was wrong about him recusing but I feel better about this read of the trial. The cover up was the problem.

[Pres Mike]

So after all this, do we have any idea when is the trial is supposed to start?

Lol, don't expect a trial any time soon. Willis wants it to be in August but thats impossible considering the size and scope of this RICO case. And that assumes Trump's legal team doesn't delay it further

A trial in Georgia will probably happen late 2025, assuming Trump loses in November