Trump lawyer claims Georgia case deliberately being tried outside federal court.
Attorney Claims Georgia Charges Belong in Federal Court
Alina Habba, attorney for former President Donald Trump and general counsel for the Save America PAC, argues that the Georgia charges should be heard in federal court. She told Newsmax on Wednesday morning that this was a deliberate move by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to prevent Trump from pardoning himself if he is convicted. Habba stated, “We will probably be asking for a removal to another venue and to move it to federal court.”
Unlike the previous three indictments against the president, this fourth indictment was issued in a state court.
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Ms. Habba had previously expressed her belief that the case should not be in a state court. She emphasized, “It should be moved to a federal court. Election claims and claims of somebody who was a president at the time should be viewed by a federal court. There’s presidential immunities at play here and this has no business being in a state court,” she said.
Mark Meadows, former chief of staff to President Trump, was the first of the 19 defendants to file a motion to transfer the case to federal court, and others are expected to follow suit.
Lindsey Halligan, attorney to President Trump, confirmed on Tuesday that the legal team plans to file a motion to move the case to federal court. She stated, “This case should be removed, this indictment is exactly the type of state interference in a federal official’s duty that the supremacy clause in the United States Constitution prohibits.”
On Monday, President Trump and 18 others were charged under the RICO statute with 161 acts of racketeering. Ms. Halligan added, “If the case is removed to federal court there will not be cameras in the courtroom. Ms. Willis seems to want this case to be televised. I’m sure she’s very proud of herself, but let’s remember how easy it is to indict someone. This indictment does not mean a conviction. It’s not a crime to contest an election.”
Ms. Halligan and Ms. Habba both expressed concerns about the prosecutors’ potential collaboration in the four cases against President Trump. They believe that the prosecutors should remain independent and not communicate with each other.
DA Proposes March 4 Trial
The attorneys for President Trump also questioned the feasibility of going to trial within six months, as promised by Ms. Willis. Ms. Halligan called the timeline “laughable” and pointed out that another RICO case brought by Ms. Willis has yet to finalize jury selection since January. She remarked, “Within six months, during election time, what a coincidence.”
In a court filing on Wednesday, Ms. Willis requested a trial date of March 4, 2024. This conveniently meets the six-month deadline and falls one day before Super Tuesday, when several states will hold their primaries. However, the proposed timeline only allows for 10 days of discovery.
Ms. Habba had previously mentioned that six months would be tight for discovery, stating, “I think everybody has to understand that when…”
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