- Former President Donald Trump is seeking to sever his criminal election interference case in Georgia from any of his 18 co-defendants, who are demanding that the case proceed to a speedy trial.
- The request came after Trump pleaded guilty to 13 criminal charges in the sprawling case.
- Trump and his co-defendants are accused of conspiring to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a fundraiser for the Alabama GOP, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, in Montgomery, Ala.
Butch Dill | AP
Former President Donald Trump is seeking to sever his criminal election interference case in Georgia from any of his 18 co-defendants, who are demanding a speedy trial in the case, court filings showed Thursday.
The request in Fulton County Superior Court came less than two hours after Trump pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges in a broad case accusing him of trying to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Trump earlier on Thursday waived his right to appear at his hearing, which is scheduled for next week.
Defense attorney Steven Sato argued that if Trump begins his trial on October 23, he won’t have enough time to prepare.
So far two co-defendants — Chesebro and pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell — have requested speedy trials. Only Chesebro has set a test date so far.
Sadow wrote that if President Trump were held to the same schedule, there would be “substantial adverse procedural and substantial ‘consequences’.”
“With respect, less than two months of preparation time was required to defend the 98-page indictment, which charged 19 defendants with 161 different counts, including RICO conspiracy with express statutes, violation of oath of public office, false statements and writings, fraud, influencing witnesses, computer crimes. , conspiracy to defraud the government and other crimes would violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law,” Sado wrote.
The attorney also flagged his own scheduling conflict: He is scheduled to participate in another trial in federal court in Florida that begins in late September. That hearing is expected to last up to three weeks, Sato wrote.
Atlanta District Attorney Fannie Willis, who is prosecuting the case against Trump, has asked the judge to rule that all defendants granted speedy trials should be tried together.
A total of 91 charges have been filed in four separate criminal cases against Trump as he campaigned for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. His attorneys in both of his federal cases sought to delay his trial until after the November 2024 election. Judges rejected those efforts in both cases.
