Georgia judge Scott McAfee threw out two of the 10 criminal charges against former President Donald Trump in his election racketeering case. The charges were related to Trump filing false documents in a federal court case, which the judge ruled state prosecutors did not have authority over. Trump now faces eight remaining charges in the case. His lawyer, Steve Sadow, stated that the ruling showed Trump and his legal team had prevailed.
The case, in which Trump and 14 co-defendants are accused of conspiring to steal the 2020 election, is on hold while McAfee awaits a ruling on whether District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed for a romantic relationship with a prosecutor on her team. Four co-defendants have pleaded guilty, and the case could be delayed indefinitely if Willis is removed.
The charges against Trump included false statements in a federal lawsuit, alleging illegal voting by felons, minors, and deceased individuals. However, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger testified that these claims were inaccurate, with only four ballots attributed to deceased individuals and no evidence of underage or felon voting.
The judge also dismissed a charge against Trump’s lawyer, John Eastman, but maintained five charges against him. In addition, charges against three defendants accused of falsifying documents to become GOP presidential electors for Georgia were dropped due to federal jurisdiction.
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