Judge Dismisses Two Additional Counts Against Trump in Georgia Case

The Fulton County judge overseeing Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case has dismissed three additional counts from the indictment, two of which were specifically against the former president. This decision comes after Judge Scott McAfee had earlier dismissed six counts, including three that pertained to Trump.

Following the latest ruling, Trump’s attorney, Steve Sadow, expressed satisfaction, stating, “President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again. The trial court has decided that counts 15 and 27 in the indictment must be quashed/dismissed.” With the recent dismissals, Trump now faces eight counts, a reduction from the original 13 counts he was charged with.

In his ruling, Judge McAfee focused on the three counts that involved the filing of false documents in federal court. He determined that the state lacked jurisdiction to pursue charges for actions allegedly committed against the federal government. The judge noted that these counts “lie beyond this State’s jurisdiction and must be quashed.”

The three dismissed counts include attempts to commit filing false documents, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, and the act of filing false documents itself. This motion to dismiss was initiated by two of Trump’s co-defendants, John Eastman and Shawn Still, who argued in favor of their case based on the supremacy clause.

On the same day, Judge McAfee also issued a separate ruling concerning the main racketeering, or RICO, charge in the indictment. He rejected a motion to dismiss this key charge, stating it is “facially sound and constitutionally sufficient as alleged.” This decision underscores that while some charges have been dropped, the core RICO charge remains intact.

Chris Timmons, a former prosecutor in Georgia and now an ABC News contributor, characterized Thursday’s ruling as a positive outcome for the defense, although he cautioned that it is “not a significant victory.” He pointed out that the overarching RICO charge still stands, and that actions relating to federal court could still be introduced during the trial as “acts in furtherance of the RICO conspiracy,” even if those actions do not explicitly constitute crimes.

A representative for the Fulton County district attorney’s office noted they were reviewing the recent order and had no further comments at this time.

Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants pleaded not guilty last year to all charges laid out in a sweeping racketeering indictment, which alleges that they attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Out of the involved parties, four defendants have accepted plea deals in exchange for their testimonies against other defendants.

The case has faced delays, as a Georgia court of appeals paused proceedings in June, pending the outcome of an appeal challenging a disqualification ruling that permitted District Attorney Fani Willis to continue with the case. Oral arguments concerning this appeal are set for December 5, just a month after the upcoming presidential election.

Throughout this legal process, Donald Trump has criticized the district attorney’s investigation, claiming it is driven by political motivations aimed at undermining him.