Plans to try all 19 defendants together prompts some skepticism from attorneys
Those eager to see Donald Trump and his allies brought to justice should welcome the Atlanta indictments of the former president and 18 others in what District Attorney Fani Willis called “a criminal racketeering enterprise” to overturn the 2020 Georgia election result.
Both Willis and Smith say they are eager to bring their cases promptly to trial, presumably before voting starts in the Republican primaries in which polls show Trump is leading the GOP field. Smith has sought a Jan. 2 trial date, and Willis said she hoped to bring her case to trial within six months.
“There’s no courtroom that can hold that,” CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said Tuesday, noting that each of the 19 defendants could have several lawyers allowed to cross-examine witnesses. “The trial would take forever.” In Georgia, the counts against Trump include two of conspiracy, three each of solicitation of violation of oath and making false statements, and one each of racketeering, forgery and impersonating a public officer.
Others in which Trump is involved include pressuring Georgia’s legislative leaders to call special sessions to change the state’s results, the organization of the false electors to replace the duly chosen ones, the court filing of false fraud claims and urging Raffensperger to violate his oath. The real impact – if any – will come if, and when, the former president actually goes on trial and, especially, if he is convicted.
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