Lawyers for Donald Trump have dropped a second long-shot bid to disqualify the Georgia prosecutor investigating whether the former US president illegally interfered with the state’s 2020 presidential election.
The pending motion, which was to be heard next week, was rendered unnecessary because of a judge’s ruling on Monday in an earlier, similar motion by Mr Trump’s team, the lawyers said in a filing in Fulton county superior court.
News of the filing emerged on Friday, a day after Mr Trump’s appearance in a Washington DC court in a separate case arising from his alleged efforts to remain in office after the 2020 presidential election.
Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to charges he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his election loss in what US prosecutors call an unprecedented effort by the then-president to undermine the pillars of American democracy.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who has overseen the federal investigation, looked on from the courtroom’s front row as Mr Trump entered his plea before US magistrate judge Moxila Upadhyaya.
“Not guilty,” Mr Trump said, emphasising the first word.
The arraignment on Thursday, lasting about half an hour, took place in a courthouse about a kilometre from the US Capitol, the building Mr Trump’s supporters stormed on January 6th, 2021, to try to stop Congress from certifying his defeat.
In a 45-page indictment, Mr Smith accused Mr Trump and his allies of promoting false claims the election was rigged, pressuring state and federal officials to alter the results and assembling fake slates of electors to try to wrest electoral votes from Biden.
Mr Trump (77) faces four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, to deprive citizens of their voting rights and to obstruct an official proceeding. The most serious charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
The next court date in the case will be August 28th, when a trial date may be set. Mr Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro, registered an early objection, arguing that the magnitude of the case and the amount of materials involved could require a lot of time.
It was the third time Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty in separate criminal cases since April. He previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he retained classified documents after leaving office and New York state charges that he falsified documents in connection with hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
In the Georgia case, it has yet to be confirmed whether Mr Trump will be charged in connection with allegations that he sought to interfere with the outcome of the 2020 election in the state.
His lawyers said they intended to appeal Monday’s ruling by Fulton county superior court Judge Robert McBurney.
Judge McBurney denied Mr Trump’s request to disqualify the lead prosecutor, Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis, block any potential indictments and throw out a special grand jury report that included recommendations on who to charge.
The report has remained sealed under Judge McBurney’s orders pending charges in the case, one of many legal troubles Mr Trump faces as he campaigns to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 US presidential election.
Ms Willis has indicated she intends to ask a grand jury to approve charges sometime in the next three weeks, telling judges that her staff will mostly work remotely as a safety precaution. – Reuters