A Fulton County judge has rejected a bid from former President Donald Trump to upend District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation of interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that in a “searing nine-page order, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that Trump and Cathy Latham, an ‘alternate’ GOP elector who joined the former president’s motion, did not have have sufficient legal standing to mount a challenge before any indictments are announced.”
In his ruling, McBurney reportedly wrote:
“The movants’ asserted ‘injuries’ that would open the doors of the courthouse to their claims are either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized. They are insufficient because, while being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation.”
>> Read Judge McBurney’s FULL ruling here.
The AJC’s Tamar Hallerman and Bill Rankin write that the ruling “came in response to a motion that Trump’s Atlanta-based attorneys filed in March, which questioned the conduct of Fulton DA Fani Willis, the investigative special grand jury that helped her compile evidence — and even McBurney himself.”
DA Willis’ investigation is expected to result in criminal charges in the weeks ahead.
Willis began investigating Trump more than two years ago, shortly after a recording was released of a January 2021 phone call the former president made to Georgia’s secretary of state.
The Associated Press reports Willis has strongly hinted that any indictment would come between July 31 and August 18. “One of two grand juries seated July 11 is expected to hear the case,” The AP writes. “If Trump is indicted by a Georgia grand jury, it would add to a growing list of legal troubles as he campaigns for president.”
Next March, Trump is set to go to trial in New York to face state charges related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. And he has another trial scheduled for May on federal charges related to his handling of classified documents. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases.
“The Justice Department is also investigating Trump’s role in trying to halt the certification of 2020 election results in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol,” The AP adds. “Trump said he’s been told he’s a target of that investigation, which likely has some overlap with the one in Georgia.”
>> Read more from The AP here.
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