Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis stated this week that she anticipates the trial of former President Donald Trump in Georgia to extend over several months. She acknowledged the possibility that the proceedings might extend beyond the 2024 election, potentially reaching into 2025.
Willis, the lead prosecutor pressing charges against Trump in Georgia, conveyed these remarks during the Washington Post’s Global Women Summit.
Trump is confronting a total of 13 charges, encompassing three instances of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, two charges of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree and two charges of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, among other allegations.
Willis believes that Trump’s trial is expected to align with the timeline of the 2024 presidential election.
She said, “I believe in that case there will be a trial. I believe the trial will take many months. And I don’t expect that we will conclude until the winter or the very early part of 2025.”
Republicans claim that Willis’s prosecution is politically driven to boost Biden’s re-election prospects.
Trump contends that the cases filed against him constitute election interference. Trump, currently the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has surged ahead of President Joe Biden in recent polls from crucial swing states.
Fani Willis, the Atlanta district attorney leading an election interference case against Trump and 14 of his allies, said a trial would very likely “not conclude until the winter or the very early part of 2025.” https://t.co/HHhAIqcVCv
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) November 15, 2023
Willis said, “I don’t, when making decisions about cases to bring, consider any election cycle or an election season. That does not go into the calculus. What goes into the calculus is: this is the law. These are the facts. And the facts show you violated the law. Then charges are brought.”
In August, Trump, along with 18 associates, faced indictment in Georgia and has consistently asserted his innocence.
Former President Trump may find himself entangled in several other legal proceedings throughout the 2024 campaign, extending into November 2024. He is currently confronting legal challenges in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C.
Last week, Judge Aileen Cannon rejected Trump’s request to relocate his Florida trial concerning the alleged mishandling of classified documents. The trial for the classified documents case is scheduled to commence on May 20, 2024. A scheduling hearing is slated for March 1, during which Cannon might consider adjusting the trial’s start date.
