WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Prosecutors in Georgia said on Thursday they will appeal a judge’s ruling dismissing some criminal charges in the 2020 election subversion case against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and several of his allies.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willisthe prosecutor overseeing the case said a state appeals court’s decision to grant Trump’s bid to disqualify her from office also allows the court to review other rulings.
The case is one of four criminal charges Trump faces as he tries to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden in a Nov. 5 election rematch.
Willis indicated she would ask the appeals court to overturn Judge Scott McAfee’s March ruling throwing out six counts, including three against Trump, accusing defendants of soliciting Georgia officials to violate their oath of office . McAfee said the indictment was not detailed enough to support this charge, but left the rest of the case intact.
The Georgia appeals court is already considering a bid by Trump and eight other defendants to disqualify Willis’ office from prosecuting the case, arguing that her romantic relationship with a former top deputy posed a conflict of interest.
Trump and 14 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges stemming from what prosecutors allege was a scheme to overturn Trump’s narrow defeat in Georgia in the 2020 election. Four others initially charged in the case have pleaded guilty in agreements with prosecutors.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Berkrot)
