Georgia prosecutor clears decks for possible Trump charges

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) asked judges in the Georgia county not to schedule trials and in-person hearings in roughly the first half of August, a signal she may bring charges against former President Trump during that time.

Willis also indicated about 70 percent of her staff will work remotely on various days in August, according to a letter sent Thursday to local judges, law enforcement officials and elected officials.

“I respectfully request that judges not schedule trials and in person hearings during the weeks beginning Monday, August 7 and Monday, August 14,” Willis wrote. “If judges schedule in person hearings during the post-conference days when my office will be working partially remote, senior leadership will handle those proceedings.”

She also noted that few in-person proceedings will be held the week of July 31, because most judges will be attending the state’s annual judicial conference. The letter was first reported by The New York Times.

Willis gave no reason for the request but concluded the letter by thanking the recipients for their assistance in keeping the county’s judicial complex “safe during this time.”

The district attorney has been probing whether Trump or his allies violated the law in their efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including a call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in which he asked Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” the number needed to overturn now-President Biden’s victory in the state.

Willis has previously indicated she will announce any indictments between July 11 and Sept. 1, which would add to Trump’s legal woes as he campaigns to return to the White House.

But Trump’s team has downplayed his involvement in the probe as potential charges loom, noting he has not appeared before a grand jury in the case and casting Willis’s investigation as a “witch hunt”.

Other figures in Trump’s orbit, including former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and 16 Republicans who were part of the Trump campaign’s false elector scheme, also have been identified as targets.

In recent court filings, Willis indicated she had offered immunity deals to some involved in the scheme.