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Post by Webster on Mar 28, 2024 13:32:23 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Trump lawyers to argue for dismissal of Georgia election subversion case on free speech groundsToday in Georgia, Donald Trump’s legal team will argue that the case brought against him by Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis for allegedly trying to overturn the state’s 2020 election result should be dismissed on first amendment grounds, CNN reports. The hearing in Atlanta will be the first held since judge Scott McAfee ruled Willis could continue handling the case, but only if special prosecutor Nathan Wade quit, which he did. For Trump, the odds are not looking particularly good: two of his 18 co-defendants have made similar claims that they were merely exercising their free speech rights when claiming, without evidence, that the 2020 election was marred by fraud, but McAfee rejected their arguments. Today’s hearing nonetheless represents a return to sorting out the actual merits of Willis’s case, which was delayed for weeks after defense attorneys alleged she had created a conflict of interest by hiring Wade, a romantic partner. The Georgia case is one of four criminal indictments against Trump, but still has no trial date – a crucial element to sort out, considering that a conviction could upend the 2024 presidential race.
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Post by Webster on Mar 28, 2024 13:33:44 GMT -5
(The Guardian) RNC props up baseless 2020 election fraud claims after Trump takeoverGeorgia judge Scott McAfee will today weigh whether Donald Trump was just exercising his first amendment rights when he insisted, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen. Such claims are alive and well at the Republican National Committee, where Trump recently installed several lieutenants in leadership position. The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports that new employees are being quizzed about their views on fraud in the 2020 election: A spokesperson for the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump did not deny a Washington Post report that said prospective RNC employees are being asked if they believe the 2020 election was stolen, constituting a “litmus test” as the 2024 election approaches.
“Candidates who worked on the frontline in battleground states or are currently in states where fraud allegations have been prevalent were asked about their work experience,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for the RNC and Trump, said in a statement. “We want experienced staff with meaningful views on how elections are won and lost and real experience-based opinions about what happens in the trenches.”
Trump has pursued his stolen election lie through his conclusive defeat by Biden; his attempts to overturn results in key states; his incitement of the deadly January 6 attack on Congress; his resulting impeachment and acquittal; his attempts to delay or avoid trial on four federal and 10 state criminal charges concerning election subversion; and his surge to a third successive presidential nomination.
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Post by Webster on Mar 28, 2024 13:36:42 GMT -5
(The Guardian) From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, here are two things to watch in today’s hearing as Donald Trump challenges his indictment for trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election: An appeal by defendants of judge Scott McAfee’s ruling allowing Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the case but only if special counsel Nathan Wade quits could further delay Trump and his co-defendants’ trial dates.
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Post by Webster on Mar 28, 2024 13:38:04 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Judge hears prosecutor, Trump attorney's free speech arguments in Georgia election subversion caseIn Atlanta, judge Scott McAfee is now hearing arguments over whether Donald Trump’s indictment for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election should be dismissed on free speech grounds. Trump’s attorneys have argued that any false statement he made were protected by the first amendment, an argument prosecutors are encouraging the judge to reject. In the words of Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis, today’s arguments boil down to this:
Donald Trump is not attending the ongoing hearing in Atlanta in his election subversion case. The former president will be in New York City to attend the wake of a police officer shot to death earlier this week during a traffic stop, his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung announced in a typically barbed tweet:
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Post by Webster on Mar 28, 2024 13:38:50 GMT -5
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Post by Webster on Mar 28, 2024 13:39:37 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Arguments in Donald Trump’s attempt to get the charges against him in the Georgia election subversion case dismissed have wrapped up in Atlanta. Judge Scott McAfee did not offer any hints of how he might rule or, perhaps more crucially, when the trial may kick off. Trump’s indictment in Georgia is one of the four criminal cases he faces, but has been slowed down by pre-trial motions, including the unsuccessful effort to get the prosecutor, Fani Willis, removed from the case.
The White House announced that Joe Biden called Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, to offer condolences on the death of Jonathan Diller, a police officer killed on Monday. “The president offered Mayor Adams, the City of New York, and the New York Police Department his support in the wake of the tragedy,” the White House said. Donald Trump plans to attend Diller’s wake today. Biden is also heading to the Big Apple, to hold a major fundraiser alongside Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
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Post by Newsman on Apr 4, 2024 16:35:40 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Georgia judge rejects Trump free speech challenge to election interference caseA Georgia judge has rejected Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss criminal charges in the state’s election interference against him on first amendment grounds. In a 14-page ruling, Fulton County superior court judge Scott McAfee found that the indictment alleges statements by Trump and his co-defendants were made “in furtherance of criminal activity” and are not protected under free speech rights. The court “finds these vital constitutional protections do not reach the actions and statements alleged” by the state, he wrote. Their motions to dismiss are “therefore denied”.
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