Donald Trump Georgia Indictment: DA Fani Willis Requests March Trial Date

By Rick Martin Aug 16 2023, 22:23 PM EDT

Fulton County DA Fani Willis proposed that the Georgia RICO trial against Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants should happen on March 4, 2024.

The date she proposes falls on the Monday before Super Tuesday when the most delegates are said to be at stake and would likely decide who the next Republican presidential nominee would be. There will be around 14 primaries that are expected to happen on March 5, including big states like California, Texas, and Massachusetts.

Trump and his 18 co-defendants are facing various crimes. They are expected to be tried together because of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law that was designed to go against organized crime. Ironically, Trump co-defendant Rudy Giuliani made a name for himself using RICO laws as a prosecutor going after mobsters.

According to the Associated Press, Willis has already proposed that the arraignments for all 19 defendants, including the ex-president, should happen on the week of September 5. She previously set a noontime deadline on August 25 for the defendants to turn themselves in and be booked at the Fulton County Jail. The county's sheriff also vowed to get Trump's mugshot taken.

However, the defendants have been doing some pretrial maneuvering, with former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows filing a motion to transfer the case to federal court.

Meanwhile, Trump and his other allies have argued that their actions were in service to his role as president, thus invoking presidential immunity from prosecution.

A hearing on the matter has been set for August 28. It is also noted that Trump and the others might also try to move the case to federal court. Should Trump win the election, he could not pardon himself for state crimes but could pardon himself for federal crimes.

Donald Trump Did Not Pay His Co-Conspirators, Says Report

Meanwhile, as Trump's co-defendants scramble to defend themselves in Georgia, CNBC reported that Trump stiffed his alleged co-conspirators, not paying them for their services in helping him try to overturn the election results.

Trump reportedly raised $250 million by urging his supporters to donate to his campaign off on false claims that the elections were stolen. These claims were spread by Georgia co-defendant Rudy Giuliani and his associate, Bernard Kerik. However, Kerik revealed in a private interview with Special Counsel Jack Smith that they were never paid despite Trump raising such a large amount.

Instead, the money that Trump raised is now helping pay his legal expenses as he faces various court cases, from civil lawsuits to his four historic indictments.

Republicans Rant About Latest Donald Trump Indictment in Georgia

After Fani Willis finally indicted Trump in Georgia, Republicans were quick to defend the former president, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas saying, "I'm pissed at these over and over and over again, if they're indictments tonight, it'll be the fourth indictment of Donald Trump."

He also told Sean Hannity during his show that the indictment is disgraceful.

"Our country's over 200 years old. We've never once indicted a former president, or a candidate, or a leading candidate for president and this is Joe Biden and this is the Democrats weaponizing the justice system because they're afraid of the voters," Cruz said.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California claimed that the Biden administration "has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election." He also accused Fani Willis of "following suit in the hopes of advancing her political career."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: BREAKING: Fani Willis makes AGGRESSIVE move in Fulton County case against Trump - Brian Tyler Cohen