A Georgia judge has dismissed two criminal counts in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump, according to Thursday's court filing.
Judge Scott McAfee found that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not have the authority to bring those charges, which accused Trump of filing false documents in federal court and conspiracy to commit filing of false documents. Those accusations were under federal jurisdiction, McAfee ruled.
"President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again," Trump's attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement shared with Townhall. "The trial court has decided that counts 15 and 27 in the indictment must be quashed/dismissed."
One other count (Count 14 - Criminal Attempt to Commit Filing False Documents) was also tossed out against allies of the former president, who were charged alongside Trump in the sprawling indictment.
However, despite the dismissals, McAfee allowed the remainder of the Georgia RICO case to move forward, including eight charges against Trump. Prosecutors could appeal McAfee's decision, and the challenge would go directly before the state's Supreme Court since it involves constitutional matters.
In March, McAfee nixed six other counts, including three against Trump, in the case, saying the issue was a lack of information as to specificity. The state could attempt to refile those charges with additional evidence supplementing the allegations.
In the meantime, the criminal proceedings have been put on pause pending oral arguments at the appellate level. In early December, a month after the presidential election, the Georgia Court of Appeals will hear Trump's bid to kick Willis off the crumbling case. Willis, who engaged in an undisclosed affair with the special prosecutor she had hired to spearhead the case, initially tried to take Trump to trial before Election Day.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump's oral arguments to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis in the crumbling Georgia election interference case will be heard by the state's Court of Appeals on Dec. 5, meaning the proceedings are definitively delayed until after the presidential election. pic.twitter.com/7QUIEfDWSm
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) July 16, 2024
Trump's defense counsel will argue for the prosecutor's removal before a three-judge panel. Those judges, chosen at random by a computer, are all GOP-appointed.
Read today's full 22-page court order here: