OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A judge in Fulton County, Georgia, has already set a trial date in a case involving 19 defendants, including former President Donald Trump.
Trump was released late Thursday on a $200,000 bond after being formally arrested and booked into the Fulton County jail. Hours later, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee issued an Oct. 23 trial date for one of the defendants, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The outlet noted: “In a day of fast-moving developments, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed the new, aggressive start date for the 41-count racketeering trial in response to Kenneth Chesebro’s motion seeking a speedy trial. Judge Scott McAfee weighed in a few hours later, setting the trial date Willis wanted but ruling it would apply only to Chesebro, a Trump-affiliated attorney who was indicted for his work helping assemble a slate of “alternate” Republican electors in Georgia. McAfee scheduled Chesebro’s arraignment for Sept. 6, ordered most pretrial motions to be filed by Sept. 27, and scheduled a pretrial conference for Sept. 29.”
“Due to the defendant’s timely demand for speedy trial … scheduling will occur on an expedited timeline,” McAfee wrote. “At this time, these deadlines do not apply to any co-defendant.”
One of Chesebro’s attorneys, Scott Grubman, said Thursday that his client “will be prepared to move forward with trial on whatever date the court ultimately sets,” according to the AJC.
Previously, Trump’s newly appointed attorney, Steve Sadow, submitted a motion indicating that the ex-president would move to separate his case from Chesebro’s. The motion requested McAfee schedule a conference at the earliest convenience to address the district attorney’s motions and establish a trial date, the outlet continued.
According to Georgia law, a request for a speedy trial means that a case must be brought to trial within the span of two court terms. In Fulton County, each court term lasts for two months, and the ongoing term started in July and is scheduled to conclude on August 31.
“But there are other complicating factors. One is that there are three defendants moving to transfer their cases out of Fulton County Superior Court to the U.S. District Court in Atlanta, and a number of legal experts say if one defendant is removed the other 18 would follow. And even more defendants, such as Trump, are expected to file similar motions,” the AJC reported.
Trump revealed that Georgia officials “insisted” he have a mugshot taken Thursday night during processing at the Fulton County Jail.
Trump, the current 2024 Republican front-runner, told Fox News in an interview that doing so was “not a comfortable feeling—especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.”
Trump turned himself in Thursday night at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, after being charged in District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, Fox News reported.
“They insisted on a mugshot and I agreed to do that,” he said. “This is the only time I’ve ever taken a mugshot. It is not a comfortable feeling — especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.”
“This is all about election interference,” Trump said. “It all comes through Washington and the DOJ and Crooked Joe Biden — nothing like this has ever happened in our country before.”
Trump said the United States is “doing horribly, but now, it is doing worse because we have become a Third World country.”
Trump’s bail was set at $200,000, and he was quickly processed and released Thursday evening.
His formal arraignment, where he will likely plead not guilty, is expected to take place in early September.
Trump was charged with one count of violating the Georgia RICO Act as well as six counts of criminal conspiracy, three counts of criminal solicitation, one count of filing false documents, and two counts of making false statements.
