WASHINGTON – Attorneys for former President Donald Trump appeared before Georgia Judge Scott McAfee on Thursday, where they requested the court to dismiss the election interference case.
“By applying the law, these forgery counts in our view must go,” said Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow.
Trump’s legal team argued that his political actions related to the 2020 election constituted “political speech and advocacy that lie at the heart of the First Amendment.
“There is nothing alleged factually against President Trump that is not political speech,” said Sadow.
Trump is facing 10 felony charges, including violating the RICO Act, engaging in conspiracy to replace public officials with fake electors and plotting to tamper with voting machines.
“It’s not just that he lied over and over again, as counsel for the defendant points out by listing all the instances in the indictment. It’s that each of those was employed as part of criminal activity,” said Fulton County prosecutor Donald Wakeford.
This marked the first hearing since the judge ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could continue with the case, provided lead prosecutor Nathan Wade stepped down amid ethics allegations.
Neither the District Attorney nor Trump was present in court Thursday as the former president traveled to New York to attend the wake of Officer Jonathan Diller, who was fatally shot in Queens during a routine traffic stop.
“Such a sad, sad event, such a horrible thing,” said Trump while attending the wake.
President Joe Biden also spoke with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and offered his condolences and support to the New York Police Department.