Donald Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, expressed her views on Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to dismiss three charges against the former president in the Georgia election interference case.
Former President Donald Trump, along with 18 co-defendants, faced a total of 41 counts in August. The indictment alleged that they conspired to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in Georgia. The investigation, which spanned several years, was spearheaded by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Trump maintains his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges and asserting that the case is driven by political motives.
In a recent ruling on Wednesday, the presiding judge, McAfee, dismissed six counts from the indictment in the racketeering case. This includes three counts against Trump, which accused him of attempting to persuade former Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to violate their oaths of office.
In his ruling, McAfee determined that the allegations lacked sufficient detail, leading him to conclude that the absence of crucial legal elements was, in his view, fatal.
During an interview on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” Habba expressed his thoughts on the judge’s decision to dismiss the three charges, stating that it represents a positive step forward.
On Wednesday, Newsweek emailed Habba’s office and the Fulton County court for comment.
“I believe all the charges should have been dropped, as that would have been the appropriate course of action. However, it is a positive development that at least some of the charges have been dismissed. This highlights the incompetence of the prosecutors involved in the case, which is a well-known fact. Moreover, these charges should never have been brought forward in the first place,” Habba commented.
Habba highlighted Willis’ potential ethics violation concerning her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Habba added that, ultimately, the prosecutor’s own ethical obligations and her ability to continue working on the case were being called into question. While the final decision will be up to the judge, Habba believes that today’s proceedings marked a positive step forward.
Willis is still being urged to step down from the case amidst mounting pressure. In a recent two-day hearing, she testified in response to allegations made by her co-defendant and former Trump staffer, Michael Roman. Roman claimed that Willis was involved in an affair with Wade and that they had both profited from taxpayer funds.
McAfee is currently deliberating on whether to remove Willis from the case, and he has assured that his decision will be made within a span of two weeks.
Habba’s remarks follow after Steve Sadow, the leading defense attorney for Trump in the Georgia case, stated in an email to Newsweek on Wednesday that the court’s decision to dismiss “significant charges” of the indictment was the correct legal move.
According to Sadow, the ruling correctly applies the law because the prosecution did not provide specific allegations of any misconduct on those counts. He believes that the entire prosecution of President Trump is politically motivated and amounts to election interference, and therefore, it should be dismissed.
Legal analyst Glenn Kirschner, who is known for his criticism of former President Trump and his previous experience as a federal prosecutor, expressed his views on the recent ruling in the Georgia case. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kirschner stated that the case is a “marathon, not a sprint” and highlighted the fact that Trump still faces 10 felony charges. While he acknowledged that the ruling may not have been favorable for prosecutor Fani Willis, he also mentioned that there is still room for the situation to be rectified.