Trump Prosecutor Gives Timetable for Length of Trial, Will Need Dozens of Witness for Case
A Georgia prosecutor assigned to handle the Fulton County racketeering charges against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants laid out his timeline for the trials Wednesday.
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade predicted it would take four months for his office to try Trump, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Wade provided the figure during a hearing with Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee.
NOW: First televised hearing in Trump criminal trial in Georgia underway pic.twitter.com/2w7kWsoYcG
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 6, 2023
The state also estimated 150 witnesses would testify in the trial.
Wade’s timetable didn’t include jury selection, which could significantly lengthen the process.
“If the recent past is any guide, the latter could take months or longer,” the Journal-Constitution said. “In a separate Fulton County racketeering case against Young Slime Life, juror selection has lasted eight months and no jurors have been selected.”
McAfee agreed to an Oct. 23 trial date for two co-defendants who sought a speedy trial but expressed skepticism that all of those accused in the racketeering case could be tried together that soon, The Associated Press reported.
“It just seems a bit unrealistic to think we can handle all 19 in 40 days,” the judge said. “That’s my initial reaction.”
Trump is accused of trying to improperly influence Georgia’s election results in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential race.
The trial is one of four ongoing criminal proceedings involving the former president and leading GOP contender for 2024 — two of them federal.
Legal analyses of the different proceedings indicate the trials could be resolved as the Republican presidential primary process nears its conclusion in the spring, according to The New York Times.
Wade’s estimate could mean the case will be resolved before Trump’s other legal matters.
Two federal criminal indictments take aim at his alleged mishandling of classified documents following his presidency and his actions related to the certification of the 2020 election in Congress, respectively.
Lawyers for Trump have argued that the latter trial, scheduled for March, should be postponed until after the 2024 election, according to The Washington Post.
The former president has criticized the scheduling of his trials on Truth Social.
“I will APPEAL!” pic.twitter.com/4QRXj5nDVS
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) August 28, 2023
Trump’s Georgia case could come with serious penalties for the former president if he is convicted.
He could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison, according to CBS News.
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