A significant new development has occurred in the ongoing legal war between Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants down in Georgia. The case would come to a sudden end. On Wednesday, a Superior Court Judge ruled on the merits of the case. This recent settlement represents the conclusion of a long legal battle that started with a grand jury indictment back in August of 2023. The indictment charges Trump and 18 others with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Reportedly, they were able to orchestrate their scheme through the state’s anti-racketeering law.
Late weekly dismissal after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ removal from office. Her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest. That ruling reinforced that the case’s allegations against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were without merit. He had prosecuted Trump’s phone call to him asking him to decertify the election results.
Though the case was overall thrown out, four of their co-defendants pleaded guilty before the case imploded. Today’s development only further illustrates the complexities and roller coaster twists and turns involved in the ongoing legal saga over Trump’s actions after the 2020 election.
Jack Smith, the special counsel leading several of the federal investigations targeting Trump, is now the subject of a Hatch Act investigation. To their credit, the Department of Justice is already investigating this area. Smith indicted Trump on federal charges before this. These charges include conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and unlawfully keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
In another notable case, Trump was convicted on felony charges in New York for making hush-money payments to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. This conviction led the court to issue an unconditional discharge after he’d been elected, leaving him free from punishment.
Trump’s legal strategies have included using pardons, as he pardoned 77 individuals connected to the fake electors affair, including his co-defendants in Georgia. Moreover, after winning the White House last year, Smith dropped both cases against Trump, citing longstanding Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president.
After the Georgia case was dismissed, now-former President Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow rejoiced at the progression.
“The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over.” – Steve Sadow
He passionately argued that this case should never have been moved to the forefront. It took a reasonable and even-handed prosecutor to finally put a stop to this lawfare.
This last point was underscored by Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, who called the outcome “final.” He argued that Judge Scott McAfee’s one-page order shows that no further legal action should take place in this matter.