A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday (06/05/2024) suspended all proceedings in the election interference case against former US President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in this southern US state, pending the outcome of their appeal.
Trump, 77, is accused in Georgia of participating in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the result of the 2020 election in the state, in which Democrat Joe Biden won by about 12,000 votes.
In March, the judge handling the case rejected an attempt by Trump and several other co-defendants to disqualify the district attorney who brought the charges following revelations that she was in a romantic relationship with the man she hired as a special prosecutor.
Trump and his co-defendants appealed Judge Scott McAfee’s ruling, and the Georgia Court of Appeals announced this week that it would hear the appeal on October 4.
On Wednesday, the appeals court ordered a stay of all proceedings pending the outcome of the appeal.
With the suspension, it will almost be certain that the case will not reach trial before the November presidential elections, in which Trump is expected to face Biden again as the Republican candidate.
Evidence in the case includes a recorded phone call in which Trump asks a top Georgia election official to “find” enough votes to overturn the result.
Last week, Trump was convicted in another criminal case in New York of falsifying business documents to cover up the payment of a sum of money to a former porn actress who alleged they had had a sexual encounter.
Along with Trump, 18 co-defendants were indicted in Georgia on racketeering and other charges, including his former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Four of Trump’s original co-defendants, including three former campaign lawyers, have pleaded guilty to lesser charges in deals that have spared them prison sentences.
Trump also faces federal charges for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election and for allegedly hoarding secret documents in his Florida home and refusing to return them. None of those cases are expected to be prosecuted before the election.
gs (afp, ap, efe)
