The judge overseeing the case against Donald Trump in Georgia dismissed some charges against the former president and some of his co-defendants on Wednesday, court records show.
In an order obtained by WSB-TV, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said six of the charges in the indictment had to be dismissed, including three against Trump. The charges, each of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, lacked detail about the nature of the alleged crimes, according to the order.
“They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently, as the Defendants could have violated the Constitutions (of the United States and Georgia) and thus the statute in dozens, if not hundreds, of distinct ways,” McAfee wrote.
The dismissed charges were filed against Trump, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Ray Smith and Bob Cheely, WSB reported.
The order left intact other charges in the indictment, according to The Associated Press and WSB. McAfee added that prosecutors could seek a new indictment on the dismissed charges, WSB reported.
In a statement issued to WSB, Trump attorney Steve Sadow said the court “made the correct legal decision.”
“The counts dismissed against President Trump are 5, 28 and 38, which falsely claimed that he solicited GA public officials to violate their oath of office,” he said. “The ruling is a correct application of the law, as the prosecution failed to make specific allegations of any alleged wrongdoing on those counts. The entire prosecution of President Trump is political, constitutes election interference, and should be dismissed.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office declined to comment, WSB reported.
In August, a grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others on charges that they tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state after Trump lost to President Joe Biden. A total of 135 counts were filed against the group.
Four people — bail bondsman Scott Hall and attorneys Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis — have pleaded guilty to charges. The remaining defendants, including Trump, have denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
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