Trump Facing 5 - 20 Years In Georgia Case | Fani Willis

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Responds To DA Fani Willis Impeachment Effort
Carmine Sabia, August 19, 2023

After a state senator called for an emergency session of the legislature to talk about impeaching Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has responded.

The governor said that he did not see any evidence that State Sen. Colton Moore had the necessary 3/5 of each state house to proceed with impeachment, Fox News reported.

“We have not been provided any evidence to support that assertion,” the governor’s spokesman, Garrison Douglas, said to Fox News.

“Given the governor was subpoenaed in this case in November of 2022, our office will not be commenting further,” the governor’s office said in response.

Moore, a Republican, responded to the governor’s spokesman.

“Tell Brian Kemp and his team to turn off CNN and open their eyes. I’ve done 25 TV, radio, and podcast interviews with one identical message: I need 3/5 of my colleagues to sign the letter,” he said. “The people of Georgia want action, not more empty promises from fluff politicians.”

The state senator sent the letter to the governor this week.

“As a Georgia State Senator, I am officially calling for an emergency session to review the actions of Fani Willis,” the state senator said. “America is under attack. I’m not going to sit back and watch as radical left prosecutors politically TARGET political opponents.”

“We, the undersigned, being duly elected members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate, and comprising 3/5 of each respective house, pursuant to Article IV, Section II, Paragraph VII(b), hereby certify to you, in writing, with a copy to the Secretary of State, that in our opinion an emergency exists in the affairs of the state, requiring a special session to be convened under that section, for all purposes, to include, without limitation, the review and response to the actions of Fani Willis,” he said.

State Republicans in Georgia who control the legislature are reportedly seeking new ways to shield former President Donald Trump from what they see as a Democrat-led effort to punish a political foe.

Specifically, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace reported on Friday during a segment with fellow network colleague Rev. Al Sharpton “that Republicans in Georgia are looking to change Georgia’s rules on pardons after a state senator sent a letter to Governor Brian Kemp, demanding he convene an emergency special session for ‘the review and response to the actions’ of Fulton County DA Fani Willis.”

That said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, top Republicans in the state, where the party holds a substantial majority in both chambers of the legislature, have said rule changes aren’t likely.

A top deputy to House Speaker Jon Burns dismissed the idea, noting that in order to change the rules, it would require changing the state constitution, which can only happen with a two-thirds majority in both chambers.

“Given the political makeup of the General Assembly,” Burns spokesman Kaleb McMichen told the AJC, “such an amendment is not feasible and thus would not merit consideration.”

Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican with whom Trump has sparred in the past over the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia, has pardon authority, but there are limits.

According to US News:

Similar to a commander in chief, a governor wields executive authority. And Georgia is a solidly Republican state, with a GOP governor, decisive Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature and a solidly red congressional delegation. So a pardon wouldn’t necessarily generate a seismic electoral wave and might even be welcomed in some quarters.

Yet, for any number of other reasons, a Trump pardon in Georgia is all but out of the question.

For one thing, the authority of Gov. Brian Kemp to issue pardons is not absolute. Georgia is one of six states where pardons are granted by an independent board whose members are appointed by the governor – unlike 41 other states where governors hold such power or share the responsibility with an independent body.

GA Senator Considers New Committee to Pressure DA Willis After Trump Indictments
Jon Dougherty, August 22, 2023

Republican state lawmakers are considering new ways in which to undermine Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis following her indictments against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his former advisers and attorneys.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Trump backers are going after Willis using a new state law approved by Gov. Brian Kemp that creates a state commission with power to sanction or oust prosecutors found to be neglecting their duties or responsible for an array of other violations.”

The report noted further that state Sen. Clint Dixon said Monday he planned to file a complaint against Willis in October when the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission begins proceedings. He added that in his view, the indictments were spurred on by the DA’s “unabashed goal to become some sort of leftist celebrity.”

“Once the Prosecutorial Oversight Committee is appointed in October, we can have them investigate and take action against Fani Willis and her efforts that weaponize the justice system against political opponents,” said the Republican from Buford in a social media post.

“This is our best measure, and I will be ready to call for that investigation,” he added.

The news outlet added:

This scenario is what a coalition of opponents, including Willis and Democratic leaders, warned about during debate over the legislation. It passed this year, mostly along party lines, at the urging of Kemp and Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Trump supporter whose candidacy last year was backed by the former president.

Kemp and Republican sponsors said it was designed to pursue “rogue prosecutors” who were ignoring their duties or flouting the law, avoiding overt mention of Willis. Even so, Democrats warned it would inevitably be used to target her for investigating Trump.

Last week, Republican state Sen. Colton Moore sent a letter sent to Kemp, which was obtained by Breitbart News, announcing an initiative to begin an emergency session to investigate the actions taken by Willis after a Fulton County jury indicted Trump on 13 counts.

Moore’s investigation could potentially lead to defunding Willis’s investigation of Trump and/or ultimately impeaching the district attorney.

“We must strip all funding and, if appropriate, impeach Fani Willis,” Moore said in a statement. “As a Georgia State Senator, I am officially calling for an emergency session to review the actions of Fani Willis. America is under attack. I’m not going to sit back and watch as radical left prosecutors weaponize their elected offices to politically target their opponents.”

Breitbart noted in its report: “An emergency legislative special session can come about two ways in Georgia: First, the governor can call an emergency session. Second, an emergency session can be called if 3/5 of both the legislative chambers sign onto a letter to demand a review of Willis’s actions.”

Interestingly, and what is sure to add to allegations that the Willis prosecution is political, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who served as a congressman from Georgia, revealed in an interview with TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk that he was told “someone from Washington” instructed her to indict Trump even before the grand jury returned.

He speculated that the reason behind the urgency was to divert attention from the fallout over Attorney General Merrick Garland’s naming of David Weiss, the U.S. attorney who spent years investigating Hunter Biden, refused to bring any serious charges, and then cut a sweetheart plea bargain with Hunter’s defense attorneys, as a special counsel.

After claiming that the story was “hearsay,” Gingrich clarified that the source nevertheless has historically been very accurate.

“I am told by a reliable source that Friday evening, somebody from Washington called the District Attorney of Atlanta and said, you have to indict on Monday. We have to cover up all of the mistakes we just made with Weiss,” he explained.

“And she said, apparently, ‘My jurors aren’t coming back until Tuesday,’” Gingrich continued.

“‘You didn’t hear me. You have to on Monday,’” he added, quoting the alleged Washington sources.

“‘But they’re not gonna get her before noon,’” Gingrich noted further, quoting Willis. “They said, ‘That doesn’t matter.’ She said, ‘This means that it’s gonna be eight or nine or ten o’clock.’ They said, ‘It doesn’t matter. We need the news shifting off of Weiss.”

Kirk asked Gingrich who made the phone call, but Gingrich said he didn’t know.

“I’m telling you upfront, this is hearsay, but it’s from a person who has remarkably good sources,” Gingrich said.

Trump’s booking height and weight sets social media ablaze: ‘Wait, what?’
August 25, 2023

Former President Donald Trump was booked into the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on Thursday night and his booking information set social media ablaze as users chimed in on the details.

Trump was booked shortly before 8 p.m. ET in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday night on the indictment stemming from his alleged actions to contest the 2020 presidential election and he was listed as 6’3” 215 pounds with “blonde or strawberry” hair and blue eyes.

The president’s height and weight was pre-reported before he arrived at the jail.

Trump’s measurements spurred a variety of reactions on social media.

“6’3 215,” Trump operative Alex Bruesewitz tweeted. “Absolute elite athlete. Trump 2024.”

“Wait, what?” CNN host Jake Tapper said when Trump’s height and weight were released.

MEADOWS MUGSHOT RELEASED AFTER TURNING HIMSELF IN FOR TRUMP-GEORGIA CASE STEMMING FROM 2020 PROBE

Trump’s weight was listed as 239 pounds in his 2018 physical examination by then-White House Physician Ronnie Jackson, who now serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.

ABC News reported that Trump’s height and weight were “pre-reported” to speed up the booking process.

The Georgia election case against Donald Trump and 18 others is about to get ugly. Here's why.
Josh Meyer, USA TODAY
Updated Fri, August 25, 2023 at 8:07 AM MDT·

For former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and their 17 other co-defendants, the threat of jail time is getting very real for those charged, arrested and booked in the Georgia election fraud case.

After trying desperately to avoid arrest by having his case transferred to federal court, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered Thursday afternoon. He is now in the same boat as his 18 fellow defendants in the Georgia case, even as Meadows is widely believed to be cooperating − to some degree − with Special Counsel Jack Smith and his federal prosecutors, who brought their own conspiracy case against Trump in Washington.

And one of the Georgia state false electors has blamed Trump, saying his group was only following the orders of the commander-in-chief.

In short, now that they’ve seen the inside of the notoriously dangerous Fulton County jail and had their fingerprints and mug shots taken, the alleged co-conspirators are mulling their options in terms of how to fight the case as it moves to court.

And by all appearances, it’s going to get complicated, contentious and potentially ugly, as the Fulton County 19 weigh how much they want to fight for their own interests at the expense of everyone else.

“This case has all the indicators of a classic mob case,” says former federal prosecutor and Justice Department official Gene Rossi, who has done a lot of these cases.

“When prosecutors at the federal and state level charge RICO, the multiple defendants initially are one team. But at some point in the process, each defendant realizes I have to be out for myself, I have to think about me,” Rossi told USA TODAY. “And at some point, I don't know how many defendants will decide, ‘Let's call the prosecutors. Let's offer our cooperation and let the chips fall where they may, and we will take our punches and hopefully get a lighter sentence.’ ”

“That decision may not happen soon, but it will happen,” Rossi adds. “And that decision will be made quickest by the people who are at the lower end of the totem pole. So, 15 through 19 will likely cooperate a lot faster than somebody in the top seven.”

Here’s a status report on what’s next for the 19 defendants in the Fulton County case:

Defendant #1 - Trump still loving the attention

Trump himself appears to be enjoying the legal attention, especially as his poll numbers – and legal and campaign war chests get bigger with each indictment.

Initially, after the 41-count Georgia indictment was unsealed last week, the former president railed against the state charges – and Willis specifically − on social media and announced plans to hold a “news conference” to prove how the charges were baseless. He canceled that event but has been milking the publicity for all it’s worth, including his booking into Fulton County jail.

“I have four of them now if you look. I mean, this is not even possible,” Trump said on Fox Business. “Four, over the next, last couple of months. And frankly, it discredits everything. And they’re all very similar in the sense that they’re, there’s no basis for them.”

Defendants #2 through #7 - the alleged inner circle

At least three of the defendants are trying to move their cases to federal court; Meadows, former senior Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and David Shafer, the former Georgia Republican Party chairman.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones is set to hold a hearing Monday on Meadows' request, but he refused to block the arrest of Meadows and Clark, who is also charged with trying to help Trump illegally overturn the election.

At the federal level, Meadows has also asked to dismiss the case, for the same reason, which is that any actions he took to help Trump were done in his official capacity as White House chief of staff.

Willis called the urgency of request "meritless" and "futile."

Several of Trump’s lawyers − Giuliani, Chesebro, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis surrendered Wednesday.

Ellis is one of several of Trump’s lawyers who have complained that Trump isn’t paying their legal bills, despite his vast and high-profile fundraising effort to mount an aggressive legal defense. She has turned to social media to ask why the former president and his donors aren't doing more to help.

And Trump campaign aide Michael Roman is charged in connection with allegedly instructing an unnamed co-conspirator to coordinate with Trump campaign officials to contact state legislators in Georgia and other battleground states on behalf of Trump and encourage them to unlawfully appoint presidential electors.

The Georgia defendants

Shafer, one of the alternate presidential electors who supported Trump despite Biden winning the state, also asked to move his case to federal court. He faces eight charges, including impersonating a public official, forgery and making false statements.

Shafer has argued that serving as a Republican presidential elector chosen in March 2020, he was a federal official acting in his official capacity. He seeks to present several federal defenses to his actions, including official immunity, supremacy clause immunity and the First Amendment.

But Shafer has also said attorneys for Trump, his campaign and the local GOP were responsible for urging him to assemble a slate of false presidential electors that are now at the heart of a sprawling racketeering case.

“Mr. Shafer and the other Republican Electors in the 2020 election acted at the direction of the incumbent President and other federal officials,” Shafer’s attorney wrote in a petition seeking to move the Fulton County case to federal court.

Other local defendants include Georgia lawyers Ray Smith and Robert Cheeley and Shawn Still, one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state’s "duly elected and qualified" electors.

The Georgia list also includes pastor Stephen Cliffgard Lee, publicist Trevian Kutti and Harrison William Prescott Floyd, who allegedly tried to pressure local election workers to confess to election fraud.

And three others, Cathleen Latham, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton were charged, along with Powell, with election interference for allegedly unlawfully tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines in Coffee County, Georgia., on Jan. 7, 2021. They were also charged with unlawful possession of ballots, computer theft, computer trespass and computer invasion of privacy. And they were charged with conspiracy to defraud the state by stealing voter data.

Trump, co-defendants to be arraigned in Georgia on Sept. 6
The Hill
ELLA LEE
August 28, 2023 at 9:45 AM

Former President Trump will be arraigned next Wednesday in Georgia over charges he and 18 co-defendants sought to overturn the state’s election results.

Trump’s arraignment has been set for 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 6, the first of all the defendants who are charged in a sweeping racketeering case alleging they joined a criminal enterprise bent on keeping Trump in power.

All the defendants’ arraignments were set in 15-minute increments by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee.

At their arraignments, the defendants will formally hear the charges brought against them and enter their pleas. In Trump’s other three criminal cases, he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Here’s when each defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 6 in the Trump Georgia case:

Donald Trump: 9:30 a.m.

Rudy Giuliani: 9:45 a.m.

John Eastman: 10 a.m.

Sidney Powell: 10:15 a.m.

Mark Meadows: 10:30 a.m.

Cathy Latham: 10:45 a.m.

Scott Hall: 11 a.m.

Kenneth Chesebro: 11:15 a.m.

Trevian Kutti: 11:30 a.m.

Harrison Floyd: 11:45 a.m.

Jeffrey Clark: 1 p.m.

Stephen Lee: 1:15 p.m.

Jenna Ellis: 1:30 p.m.

Shawn Still: 1:45 p.m.

Ray Smith: 2 p.m.

David Shafer: 2:15 p.m.

Michael Roman: 2:30 p.m.

Bob Cheeley: 2:45 p.m.

Misty Hampton: 3 p.m.