The judge presiding over a Georgia grand jury investigation into Donald Trump on Monday rejected the former U.S. president's bid to disqualify the lead prosecutor and block any indictments stemming from the probe, which is expected to yield charges in the coming weeks.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney also denied Trump's request to quash a special grand jury report that included recommendations on whom to charge in connection with a campaign to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results, when Democrat Joe Biden narrowly carried the state.
The report has remained sealed pending charges in the case.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani 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.
Security barricades were erected outside the county courthouse last week.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of political motives. A spokesperson and his Georgia-based legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment.
Trump's lawyers have filed a separate long-shot bid to disqualify Willis that will be heard by another judge next week. That motion was assigned to a judge from another county because it names McBurney in addition to Willis; as a result, all Fulton County judges were recused from hearing it.
Willis has been investigating Trump's attempt to reverse the 2020 election outcome since January 2021, shortly after Trump was recorded on a phone call asking the state's top election official to "find" enough votes to overturn Biden's victory.
The wide-ranging probe has also examined the conduct of Trump's attorneys, including Rudy Giuliani, and a group of individuals who served as alternate electors in an unsuccessful effort to have the state's electoral votes awarded to Trump rather than Biden.
The special grand jury was convened at Willis's request to aid in her investigation. The jury, which had subpoena power but not the authority to issue charges, heard testimony from dozens of witnesses.
Trump has falsely claimed the election in Georgia and elsewhere was marred by widespread fraud, despite dozens of court rulings finding no evidence to support it.
In his nine-page decision, McBurney said Trump's bid to block the probe was premature, given that no charges had yet been filed, and that he would have ample opportunity to challenge the propriety of the investigation if and when he faces an indictment.
McBurney also said Trump had not shown Willis had acted in a biased fashion, despite granting press interviews and tweeting about the case.
"The drumbeat from the district attorney has been neither partisan (in the political sense) nor personal, in marked and refreshing contrast to the stream of personal invective flowing from one of the movants," he wrote.
© Thomson Reuters 2023.
37 Comments
TokyoLiving
Pathetic scoundrel loser..
LOOOOOL!!..
2020hindsights
Well this isn't surprising.
The guy is a rapid fire bs machine.
TaiwanIsNotChina
His lawyers should have been disbarred or punished as well for making such ridiculous motions.
Cards fan
Ouch, looks he won't be getting out of this one either.
Me thinks Donald is going to be too busy with all his criminal cases to really run.
Quite the conundrum rightists have found themselves in.
EFD
Well, the "elite strike force" is already out of commission, Eastman is going to lose his law license. Lynn Wood agreed to "retire" rather than be disbarred. So hope springs eternal.
ClippetyClop
Trump fans’ claims of election fraud may be true after all.
Unfortunately it’s Trump who was the one doing it.
Do you think they’ll see the irony in that?
EFD
Um, no. When they do it, it's not election interference or insurrection. It's "stopping the steal" and "legitimate political discourse".
Blacklabel
the too early/too late game from the other court cases. Then it’s “no standing” if the timing is just right.
Cards fan
lmao You've got the timing wrong. Every silly Biden fantasy story is perfectly timed by the partisan GOP committees to distract from Trump's blatant criminality.
wallace
Trump and his election fraud.
EFD
There is no issue with timing. I also wish that they had nailed him to the cross on Jan 21st, 2021, but it takes as long as it takes. This is just the excuse of a loser with no defense.
Any issues regarding a delay into the election season are easily alleviated via a demand for a speedy trial, which is his right. But he isn't going to do that because his entire strategy revolves around delaying the process and then complaining about it.
It's the only play that he has.
The GA AG and the SC both have him dead to rights.
u_s__reamer
Trump's frivolousness which always produces the same result before judges must be his definition of a "stable genius". Whatever, Trump with his MO of delay, delay, delay is acing the DOJ's clock that the timid, foot-dragging Garland (and Biden) started waaay too late. The elimination of the festering orange peril of the GOP's "Joker" now lies in the hands of the redoubtable Jack Smith and his team and, the American people who will hand down their verdict at the polls in 2024.
bass4funk
Probably, the Dems won’t let up, he just needs to meet the wind head on.
At this point with his popularity growing and more people knowing what this is being sympathetic towards the guy like him or not, he might not need to go around and campaign
No, but we do see and understand what and why the Dems are pushing this, but let them, they do what they do and Trump will continue to do what he does indictments or not.
wallace
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is an outstanding prosecutor with a track record.
ClippetyClop
He might not be able to.
Maybe he can do from a cell what Joe did from a basement.
bass4funk
Ok…and?
Technically, he really wouldn’t need to at this point we’re that to happen
That’s not going to happen. Even the Dems know that.
wallace
bass4funk
Trump fears her.
dagon
Whenever it is a question of Trump's corruption, even when there is abundance evidence in his own hand or voice of his malfeasance, it is always in his mind because of bias against him, a derangement syndrome or the organization or individuals are "Trump haters".
Surprising though that his stans never grow tired of this strategy.
plasticmonkey
"I just want to find 11,780 votes."
Without mentioning Dems, libs, the left, Biden, Hunter, etc, how can you deny the blatant election interference and intimidation here?
bass4funk
He told you this??
Like with the current President and his son. Don’t feel too good, huh?
Absolutely, once people take the rose-colored glasses off.
Or you can flip that around about the people that never grow tired hounding this guy.
wallace
Trump always tries to squash those he is afraid of.
bass4funk
And the establishment fears Trump and is trying to squash him.
wallace
Trump can't find lawyers to represent him in his document case.
plasticmonkey
Reasonable people see Trump as a crook. Because it's plain as day.
Those who don't are like cult members who simply can't face reality anymore. They've got too much invested in this man.
ClippetyClop
Prosecutors and judges don’t though.
Although they will need extra security for a while.
You know what he’s like with the ‘Violence is part of politics’ thing.
bass4funk
He’s got 6 at the moment for this case.
Unreasonable people, emotional and Trump haters with TDS see Trump as a criminal all day long.
That’s how the haters are acting
As do the people that will stop at nothing to stop this man, no matter what or high the costs may be.
Documents are showing the squirrel is real. I prefer Sony or Nikon.
plasticmonkey
So, back to my question. Do you think it's "perfect" to pressure the Georgie SOS to "find 11,780 votes"?
All you're doing is making blanket smears against Dems, libs, "haters".
How was Trump's phone call not problematic?
2020hindsights
bass4funk
Ouch, looks he won't be getting out of this one either.
The Dems aren't involved. These are legal proceedings.
theFu
The trial will find Trump guilty. There are both fines and jail time for these offenses. The laws were created to prevent very small scale tampering. On the scale that Trump attempted, the fines and jail time need to be "per incident" of attempted tampering ... so 11000 fines and 11000 2 yr sentences in jail .... or life, which ever is shorter.
wallace
bass4funk
Three.
Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg, and Jennifer Little.
bass4funk
6, he has 3 more on standby should this thing backfire. He would be stupid not to have extra backup and an ace in this pocket.
wallace
bass4funk
and those are?
bass4funk
I don’t know exactly, and I really don’t care, but I do know that Trump always has 11-12 lawyers on his team for different things.
wallace
bass4funk
I see you got his memo.
Mark
At Last, Criminal conducts are beginning to stick to Mr. TEFLON
lincolnman
Indeed...and this week Rudy Giuliani confirmed it was all lies; "Defendant Giuliani, for the purposes of litigation only, does not contest that, to the extent the statements were statements of fact and other wise actionable, such actionable factual statements were false,”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/rudy-giuliani-concedes-made-false-statements-georgia-election-workers-rcna96395
False - as in untrue, fabrications, LIES...
This makes the THIRD TIME Rudy has fessed up the truth that Trump's election fraud claims were all bogus...
1) He admitted before a judge while under oath that "this is not a fraud case"...
https://time.com/5914377/donald-trump-no-evidence-fraud/
2) He told the Arizona Repub Chairman what "We just don't have any evidence"....
https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-voter-fraud-evidence-rusty-bowers-testimony-jan6-committee-2022-6
Now the third...
Additionally, Giuliani VOLUNTEERED to meet with Jack Smith and provided a "proffer" which is a document that outlines all the "dimes he can drop on Trump" if offered a leniency deal....
So Rudy has contradicted Trump's claims of massive fraud three times and is now cooperating with Jack Smith to help put Trump behind bars,...
Yet as of a few days ago, one MAGA-poster here said clearly that Giuliani is a "MAGA-hero"....
So the guy that's saying the beloved Ultra MAGA King is a bold-faced liar and is cooperating with the "deranged" Jack Smith trying to put Trump in a cell at Leavenworth is hailed as a MAGA-hero....
Welcome to MAGA-world...
nishikat
Yes and Trump people are paying his bills. They are such suckers.
Lawyers don't grow on trees and who is paying for them? Of course Trump people are. And how about Trump's lawyers who need lawyers (Make Attorneys Get Attorneys). I wonder if Trump people commenting how much Trump is a great man is on JT are sending checks to Trump. Or are they just talking about it. Don't just talk about being on Trump's side.... SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! Send money to Trump for his lawyers