Fani Willis is using a novel legal theory to target Donald Trump.
She thought the court would play along with her sinister scheme.
And Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was furious after a judge gave her this brutal rejection.
Fani Willis is charging former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies under Georgia’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law for challenging the results of the state’s disputed 2020 election.
Since the RICO statute is designed for organized crime, it allows Willis to prosecute all 19 defendants in one trial.
Trump’s legal team requested that the trial be delayed until after the 2024 election, but Willis wants to drop the hammer on him before voters head to the polls next year.
Two of the defendants, former Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, invoked their right to a speedy trial and set up a late October court date.
Willis hoped to be able to try all 19 defendants during the October trial, but the judge presiding over the case rejected her attempt to hold a joint trial.
Trump and 15 other defendants’ cases have been severed from the Powell and Chesebro case.
Fulton County prosecutors argued that “multiple lengthy trials would create an enormous strain on the judicial resources of the Fulton County Superior Court.”
Judge Scott McAfee wrote in a motion that “the Court joins the skepticism expressed by several federal courts that denying severance always ensures efficiency, especially in ‘mega trials’ such as this.”
ABC Producer says judge’s ruling is a “big win” for Trump
ABC News executive editorial producer John Santucci said the ruling was a “big win” for Trump and “bad” news for Fani Willis.
“Fani Willis wasn’t there, but you gotta imagine, Diane, she’s throwing things against the wall based on this hearing,” Santucci told the ABC host.
Willis having a major trial this fall, followed by another next spring, would make things “incredibly difficult for prosecutors.”
“A great win for Donald Trump and others that did not want to be part of this speedy trial case,” Santucci added. “I can tell you, sitting here with you, just texting with some of the attorneys involved in the other defendants — celebrating, ‘Yay, victory.’ This is everything they wanted — was to take more time and slow this down.”
The legal teams for Trump and the other defendants will be able to learn from the government’s case against Powell and Chesebro.
Santucci said another “interesting” tidbit from the hearing was the agreement to reveal the 30 unindicted co-conspirators to the legal teams for Trump and the 18 other defendants.
The grand jury in the case recommended bringing charges against 39 people in total, including Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and former Georgia Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
According to Santucci, failing to keep the unindicted co-conspirators hidden was another loss for the Fulton County District Attorney’s office.
Donald Trump’s case being severed from the speedy trial will give his legal team a leg up against Fani Willis’ witch hunt.
