Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked for the trial regarding the 2020 fake electors’ scheme to commence on March 4, 2024, with the last pretrial conference to be held on February 20, 2024. Moreover, Willis is seeking an arrangement the week of September 5th.
March 4th is one day before the Super Tuesday primaries.
According to the motion filed on Wednesday, all claims of immunity must be filed within ten days of the arraignment. In addition, hearings for motions filed by October 31 shall commence on December 11, 2023 and continue until completion. That also includes the motion filed by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to move the trial from state court to federal court in the hopes of attracting a more conservative and thus favorable jury pool.
Tuesday evening, it was announced by the Fulton County Sheriff’s office that former President Donald J. Trump, Meadows and the remaining seventeen co-defendants are expected to surrender at the Fulton County jail. It is uncertain when the alleged co-conspirators are scheduled to surrender on or before Friday, August 25, 2023 at 12:00 PM. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat previously suggested he wants to treat the defendants charged in the case the same as any other defendant would be treated.
“Unless someone tells me differently we will be following normal practices. It doesn’t matter your status, we will have mug shots ready for you,” Labat told CNN earlier this month.
The 98-page sprawling scope into the fake electors’ scheme unveiled a wide range of conspirators from the lowest ranked foot soldiers, a cadre of attorneys, and the mastermind of the scheme, former President Trump. The indictment covers these four pillars:
- The first plot was to pressure government officials to advance the objective of securing Georgia’s electoral votes for Trump, even though he lost. The example would be the infamous phone call.
- The second plot was the organization of the Georgia Republican Party electors that falsely proclaimed that Trump was the winner. That meeting took place on December 14, 2020.
- The third plot was the unlawful accessing of voting machines in Coffee County, a rural county southeast of Atlanta and located 52 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp and Wildlife Refuge.
- The fourth and final plot is what has become a trademark allegation against Trump and his circle: obstruction and cover-up. Willis later alleged that members of the conspiracy filed false documents, made false statements to government investigators and committed perjury during the Fulton County judicial proceedings.
A president’s power to pardon federal offenses does not extend to state crimes.
Pardons in Georgia are not an un-reviewable power vested solely in the chief executive. They are awarded by the State Board of Pardons and Paroles — and are not even available until five years after completion of all sentences.