Judge rejects Fani Willis bid against Trump and other RICO defendants

The Fulton County, Georgia judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's 2020 election subversion case rebuffed prosecutors on Thursday on their bid to try all 19 defendants together.

“The Court joins the skepticism expressed by several federal courts that denying severance always ensures efficiency, especially in ‘mega trials’ such as this,” Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee wrote in an order.

The judge's ruling means Trump will not be tried on Oct. 23 alongside at least two of his co-defendants who have requested a speedy trial.

McAfee has vowed to have weekly check-ins with defendants who have requested a speedy trial and is likely to rule on three motions from Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell during the livestreamed hearing Thursday. McAfee ruled last week the pair would held to trial together on Oct. 23, rejecting attempts to split their cases from each other.

The defendants are seeking answers to motions such as a request to speak with grand jurors who handed up the indictment, one to unseal transcripts from witnesses who testified before the special grand jury that recommended criminal charges, and a third to disclose the names of those described by prosecutors as un-indicted co-conspirators in the sweeping racketeering case brought by Fani Willis.... (Read more)

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