Georgia prosecutor's office jumps the gun by publishing and then deleting list of criminal charges against Trump
"This is emblematic of the pervasive constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception," Trump's lawyers said.
The office of Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, released and then removed a document outlining several criminal charges against Donald Trump, all related to the former president's alleged attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. However, this occurred before the grand jury voted on the matter.
The filed document, which Reuters obtained, only appeared briefly on the website on Monday and listed 13 charges against Trump, including extortion and conspiracy to commit false statements, among others. It was reportedly posted online while the Fulton County grand jury was still hearing witnesses.
A clerical error or a rigged process?
Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, said the posting of the document was possibly a clerical error. "I think this tells us what they are planning to present to the grand jury, and the grand jury could say no," he said.
However, Trump's lawyers asserted that it was not a simple mistake. According to a statement from Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, the release of that document demonstrates a lack of respect for the process.
"A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorney's Office, yet it somehow made its way to the clerk's office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated. This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception," the attorneys stated.
"Fictitious document"
A spokesman for the Fulton County clerk assured that the document circulating is "fictitious." However, he did not elaborate further.
Donald Trump vs. Willis
Through Truth Social, the former president said he learned of Willis' "desperate" attempt to accuse him of manipulating the 2020 presidential elections and assured once again that it is all about "election interference."
"Why wasn't this fake case brought 2.5 years ago?" asked Trump.