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Fulton County prosecutors want the Georgia election subversion trial of Donald Trump and his co-defendants to begin on August 5, 2024, directly in the middle of the presidential election campaign.
“This proposed trial date balances potential delays from Defendant Trump’s other criminal trials in sister sovereigns and the other Defendants’ constitutional speedy trial rights,” prosecutors said in a court filing Friday.
It’s up to Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee to set a trial date.
Trump faces three other criminal trials: The federal election subversion case in Washington, DC, the federal classified documents case in Florida and the state hush-money case in New York.
Prosecutors have previously estimated that their case would take four months, though McAfee has speculated that it might take longer. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said this week that “the trial will take many months.”
There are 15 defendants remaining in the case, including Trump. They have all pleaded not guilty.
Four of the original 19 defendants have already pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors: Former Trump campaign lawyers Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, bail bondsman Scott Hall, and Kenneth Chesebro, who helped devise the fake electors plot.
Hear what Jenna Ellis said in tearful court speech
In the court filing, Willis’ team asked the judge to set a deadline of June 21, 2024, for defendants to negotiate a plea deal. They could still plead guilty after that date, but it wouldn’t be part of a deal with prosecutors, so they wouldn’t get the benefits of a cooperation agreement.
“The State will entertain negotiated guilty plea deals up until the Final Plea date,” prosecutors wrote. “After the Final Plea Date, the Defendants will only have the option of non-negotiated pleas, and the State intends to recommend maximum sentences at any remaining sentencing hearings.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
Read the full article here
