Fulton County DA opposes Trump’s efforts to throw out special grand jury report on 2020 election meddling

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CNN —

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is asking a Georgia court to dismiss Donald Trump’s request to throw out the final report and evidence from a special grand jury that spent months investigating the efforts of the former president and his allies attempting to subvert the 2020 elections.

The district attorney’s office also argued Monday that a new judge should not be appointed to hear arguments from the Trump team, nor should a hearing be held on the matter.

Trump and others seeking to overturn the work of special grand juries are not content to follow the ordinary course of law, Willis wrote in a court filing.

They try to prevent a criminal investigation before any charges are filed or even sought; they demand that the judicial system place them above and apart from the usual administration of the criminal law; and they do this by raising arguments for which they have no standing, or for which they have failed to timely join, or for which they have already failed, or for which there is no basis in law, he wrote.

Attorneys for Trump asked in March for an Atlanta Superior Court judge to nullify the work of special grand juries and disqualify the district attorney’s office from pursuing any cases that related to extensive investigations.

Willis, a Democrat, responded Monday that Trump’s motions are procedurally flawed and should be dismissed or denied as appropriate.

Generally, the Motions are procedurally flawed and advance arguments without merit, and the State respectfully requests that this Court retain oversight of this matter and dismiss or deny the motions if applicable without a hearing, Willis said in the court filing.

Cathy Latham, one of 16 Republicans who served as fake voters in a plan to overturn the Electoral College in Georgia, also joined Trump’s lengthy motion to try to interfere with the Fulton district attorney’s long-running investigation.

In addition to signing fake certificate papers for Trump, Latham was also captured on security video spending hours inside the restricted areas of the Coffee County election office when voter data was breached on January 7, 2021 a days after the riots at the US Capitol.

The broad objections of Trump’s lawyers cover several decisions of the judge in charge of the grand jury, the conduct of the district attorney of Fulton County and various media interviews of special grand juries forepersons.

In a court motion filed in March, the Trumps’ legal team wrote that the investigation was conducted under an unconstitutional law, through an illegal and unconstitutional process, and through a disqualified District Attorneys Office that violated prosecutorial standards and acted without considering the gravity of the circumstances. and the constitutional rights of those involved.

Willis’ response Monday defended his actions in office and argued that there were no grounds on which he should be disqualified or evidence that the grand jury investigation was tainted in any way.

The movants advance constitutional arguments on which they have no standing and fail to demonstrate the unconstitutionality of the relevant statutes, Willis wrote in Monday’s filing.

In a statement late Monday, Trump’s Georgia legal team said it would ask the court Tuesday for time to file a response, adding that Willis’ filing was primarily procedural in nature and failed to address several critical issues. issue.

Willis also argued that Trump’s team waited too long to argue that he should be disqualified from investigating the former president.

In his own estimation, Mr. Trump is at the center of an investigation that has been developing for more than two years, but only now has he moved for the disqualification of prosecutors, Willis wrote.

A coalition of news media companies, including CNN, also filed in an Atlanta court on Monday to oppose the Trumps’ bid to throw out the special grand jury report, arguing that the report should be released as soon as whole.

Not only is such a remedy not supported by any legal basis, it is also totally contrary to the basic principles of this Nation and State, the media collation wrote.

Willis plans to announce this summer whether the shell will file charges against Trump or his allies, according to a letter sent to local law enforcement officials and obtained by CNN. Willis said in the letter that he plans to make an announcement between July 11 and September 1.

Willis’ office is considering bringing racketeering and conspiracy charges stemming from the actions of Trump and his associates after Georgias 2020 election.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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