Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has dismissed six charges against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case. Three of the six charges directly pertain to Trump.
For the time being, at least, the criminal indictment against Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Trump campaign lawyer John Eastman and two others is significantly reduced.
“This does not mean the entire indictment is dismissed,” McAfee added.
The Daily Beast adds:
McAfee also noted that prosecutors can seek a reindictment for the six counts that were tossed.
“These six counts contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission,” the judge wrote in his sudden ruling. “They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently, as the Defendants could have violated the Constitution and thus the statute in dozens, if not hundreds, of distinct ways.”
Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan told The Daily Beast on Wednesday that the dropped charges don’t necessarily weaken the state’s case because the main racketeering charges remain. Most of the charges that were dropped, he added, are encompassed in the racketeering charge at the center of the case.
“I think that the defense was hoping to throw out other charges, as well as the RICO charge, and that’s the real charge here,” Morgan said. “The prosecution still has a case, and it is still moving forward. This does not kill the indictment at all.”
The dismissal comes as McAfee weighs a key decision: whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from prosecuting the racketeering case. The nine-page ruling is not directly related to the defense motion to oust Willis from the case and throw out the indictment.
A decision on whether to boot Willis is expected this week.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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