Fani Willis wants to revive criminal charges in the Trump RICO case

The charges were previously dismissed by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who ruled in March that the defendants had not been provided with enough details to mount a proper defense. However, McAfee left the district attorney free to try to revive the charges.

Trump lawyer Steve Sadow called Willis’ attempt to revive the charges “simply unlawful.”

“The trial court’s dismissal order correctly held that the State failed to adequately plead the allegations in the dismissed counts under Georgia law,” Sadow added.

The charges in question relate to allegations that Trump and his co-defendants pressured Georgia officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to call a special session of the legislature to appoint replacement electors in Trump’s favor, similar to an argument made in special counsel Jack’s federal case Smith was brought against the former president.

The dismissed solicitation charges concerned “counts 2, 5, 6, 23, 28 and 38” of the 41 counts and involved Trump and co-defendants Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Ray Smith and Bob Cheeley. These individuals were part of the racketeering indictment presented to Willis by a special grand jury in August 2023.

Willis has not yet appealed a separate decision by McAfee in September in which he rejected “counts 14, 15 and 27” because they “are outside the jurisdiction of this state.” All three of those counts involved alleged attempts to submit “false documents” in connection with Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the election results in the Peach State.

Trump faces eight felony charges in Georgia, compared to the original 13 charges against him.

The case has been on hold since June while the appeals court considers whether Willis should be excluded from the trial. Defense attorneys argue that her personal relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade, as well as a fiery church speech, raised questions of impartiality.

Wade came to the Capitol in Washington, DC on Tuesday, where he testified before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee that the case against him and his allies was “not politically motivated” and argued that he “did nothing to stop the endangering integrity.” it despite the romantic relationship he had with Willis.

Oral arguments on whether Willis can remain in the case are scheduled for Dec. 5, with a decision expected in March.

The appeals court has not yet announced whether it will hear arguments related to reinstating the dismissed charges.

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Legal experts say a trial is unlikely to begin until 2025, comparing it to the frequent delays experienced by another high-profile lawsuit brought by Willis’ office: the case of rapper Young Thug.

It also remains to be seen what will happen in Trump’s case if he wins the election, as some experts have expressed doubt that a trial can take place while he leads the nation.