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CNN —Suspicious packages were sent this week to election offices in more than 20 states, leading to an FBI investigation, triggering evacuations and rattling staff, according to a CNN survey of state offices and Associated Press reporting. Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told CNN that that the battleground state was also targeted this week. Officials in Kansas and New York said in statements and interviews that, after the letters were noticed, they evacuated their offices. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states,” the FBI said in a statement. A source involved with a group that coordinates with election officials across the country told CNN the 2023 incident led many of these offices to step up precautions and safety measures, so they were better protected this time around.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, “ We’re, ” Raffensperger, Karen Brinson Bell, Bell, ” Bell, “, ” David Becker, ” Becker, Democrats ”, ” Organizations: CNN, Associated Press, US Postal Service, North Carolina State Board, Election Innovation, Research, Democrats, FBI, U.S . Postal, Service Locations: Alaska , Arizona , California , Colorado , Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , Nebraska , New York, North Carolina , Ohio , Oklahoma, Rhode Island , Tennessee, Wyoming, Fulton County, Kentucky, Kansas, New York, Oklahoma, Takoma Park , Maryland

☆ Georgia election board requires ballots be hand-counted despite warning from key GOP state officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Marshall Cohen | Jason Morris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Allies of former President Donald Trump who control the Georgia State Election Board approved a controversial new rule Friday requiring counties to hand-count the number of ballots cast at polling places on Election Day, despite bipartisan objections from election officials and poll workers. State Election Board member Janelle King, one of the three Republican members of the state election board who was praised by former President Donald Trump last month, told reporters before the meeting that the changes are necessary. “The overwhelming number of election officials that have reached out to me have been opposed to this,” State Election Board chairman John Fervier an independent who opposed the move, said before the vote. The state election board in Georgia does not certify the results of any election. The state election board also investigates election irregularities.

Persons: Donald Trump, Chris Carr, ” Elizabeth Young, Young, Brad Raffensperger, “, ”, we’re, it’s, Janelle King, ” King, John Fervier, Trump, Sara Tindall Ghazal, King, Raffensperger, CNN’s Sara Murray, Mounira Elsamra Organizations: CNN — Allies, Trump, Democratic, GOP, Republican, Georgia, CNN, Board, Peach State Locations: Georgia, ”, Peach

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Battleground state election officials from both parties are pushing back against a falsehood that has proven pervasive ahead of the 2024 reaction: that noncitizens are voting in widespread numbers. The comments came as former President Donald Trump and his GOP allies have talked up efforts to crack down on noncitizens voting, which is already illegal. Maricopa County has sued seeking clarity on whether those voters can vote in state and local elections this fall. Republicans at the national and state level have fueled unfounded noncitizen voting claims in the run-up to this year's presidential election. Election officials said Thursday they were taking steps to debunk conspiracy theories ahead of the 2024 election.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, ”, Al Schmidt, Schmidt, they’re, Jocelyn Benson, Benson, ” Benson, —, Bob Bauer, Ben Ginsberg, Brad Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger, we’re, Mike Johnson, Ken Paxton, they're, it's, Karen Brinson Bell, It's, Stephen Richer, Katie Hobbs, Richer, Kim Pytleski Organizations: GOP, Department of Transportation, The, Republican, Republicans, Texas, Arizona Gov Locations: Mich, —, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Michigan, American, Arizona, Maricopa County, Georgia, Oconto County , Wisconsin

Eight states will have constitutional amendments backed by Republican lawmakers on the November ballot designed to make clear that only American citizens can vote in elections in those states. But it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections in those states and at the federal level, and it rarely happens. Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has long made false claims that noncitizens are voting in elections and that Democrats have helped them enter the country to cast those ballots. No state constitution in the U.S. allows noncitizens to vote. While Americans for Citizen Voting said it has no formal or informal relationship with the Trump campaign or the RNC, its chairman, Paul Jacob, said at a recent press conference that he hopes the ballot measures will help improve voter turnout.

Persons: it’s, stoke people’s, Donald Trump, ”, Jonathan Diaz, Mike Johnson, noncitizens, “, Sen, Julian Bradley, Bradley, Brad Overcash, ” Jack Tomczak, —, “ It’s, Brad Raffensperger, Diaz, Bree Grossi Wilde, Trump, ” Diaz, Grossi Wilde, Paul Jacob, ” Jacob Organizations: Republican, noncitizens, Trump, GOP, Republican National, D.C, United, Lawmakers, ”, ” Wisconsin Republican, Citizen, ” North, ” North Carolina Republican, stoke, Democracy Research, University of Wisconsin Law, RNC Locations: Idaho , Iowa , Kentucky , Missouri, North Carolina , Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wisconsin, U.S, Washington, Iowa , Missouri, Idaho, Kentucky, United States, ” Wisconsin, ” North Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina

☆ Are undocumented immigrants voting in US elections? Here’s the available data
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —House Republicans are flirting with the idea of forcing a government shutdown over the issue of noncitizens voting in US elections. “We have a number of states who have done audits of their voter rolls and found thousands of noncitizens on their voter rolls. Johnson also later referenced Texas as a state where undocumented immigrants have tried to register to vote. “There are a number of states who have shown they have noncitizens on their voter rolls. In 2019, a review of voter rolls in the state seemed to suggest 95,000 noncitizens were on the rolls.

Persons: Mike Johnson —, Donald Trump, ” Johnson didn’t, ” Johnson, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Johnson, ”, Critics, it’s, ” David Becker, Greg Abbott, Brandon Bell, Jane Nelson, ” Becker, Frank LaRose, “, ” LaRose, Adrian Fontes, ” Fontes, LaRose, Brad Raffensperger, — Organizations: CNN — House Republicans, Republicans, SAVE, noncitizens, Department of Motor Vehicles, Center, Election Innovation, Research, CNN, Texas Gov, Republican, Texas Tribune, Austin Public Library, Texas, Texans, Capitol, Pennsylvania, Associated Press, Heritage Foundation Locations: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, That’s, Austin , Texas, United States of America, Philadelphia, Kansas

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, on Sunday expressed confidence in Georgia’s election security, a contrast with Trump’s recent attacks against Republican state officials Gov. At the time, Trump and his allies filed a series of lawsuits in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results, but none succeeded due to a lack of evidence. Ahead of the 2024 election, the Trump campaign and the RNC have pledged to enlist 100,000 volunteers and attorneys to monitor votes in battleground states. On Jan. 2, 2021, Trump also called Raffensperger, a Republican, urging the top Georgia election official to “find” the votes to toss out Biden’s victory in the battleground state. Trump and 18 co-defendants last year were charged with racketeering in connection with their efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Sen, JD Vance, Brian Kemp, Brad Raffensperger, ” Vance, Trump, Vance, we’ve, ”, “, you’re, Kemp, Raffensperger, Stacey Abrams, ” Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, —, Trump’s Organizations: Republican, Fox News, Republican National Committee, RNC, Republican Party, Democratic Locations: American, Georgia

☆ Georgia was fading from the presidential battleground map. But Kamala Harris has put the state back in play.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewLast week, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump held rallies at the same Georgia State University venue in downtown Atlanta just days apart. AdvertisementWhereas many Republicans were beginning to see Georgia for the taking due to Biden's sagging numbers, Harris has given Democrats a jolt of energy in the state. Harris has strength with young voters and minoritiesBiden in 2020 swept nearly every swing state, boosted by his electoral advantage with young voters and minorities. And the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll taken in Georgia showed Harris and Trump tied at 47% support each among registered voters. And if Trump holds on to 2020 instead of uniting Georgia Republicans, Harris will likely benefit.

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Trump's, MAGA, Harris, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Joe Raedle, Nikki Haley, Brian Kemp, Brad Raffensperger, Kemp, Raffensperger, he's, Marty, Kemp's, Stacey Abrams Organizations: Service, Georgia State University, Business, Republican, Black, GOP, Emerson College, Trump, Peach State, Bloomberg, Republicans, Trump GOP, Georgia Republicans, Republican Gov, Republican Party Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Peach, Atlanta's, Raffensperger

☆ Trump Says Georgia’s Governor Is Hampering His Efforts to Win There
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Neil Vigdor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump suggested without evidence on Saturday that Georgia’s Republican governor was hampering his efforts to win the battleground state in November, a claim that carried echoes of Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn his defeat to President Biden there in 2020. “In my opinion, they want us to lose,” Mr. Trump said, accusing the state’s governor, Brian Kemp, and its secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, who is also a Republican, of being disloyal and trying to make life difficult for him. Mr. Trump lost to Mr. Biden by roughly 12,000 votes in Georgia in 2020. Last year, the former president was indicted by an Atlanta grand jury on charges related to his efforts to subvert the results of that election in that state. On Saturday, he complained that he might have avoided legal jeopardy if Mr. Kemp and Mr. Raffensperger had cooperated with his attempts to reverse the 2020 results.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Biden, ” Mr, Brian Kemp, Brad Raffensperger, “, Kemp, Raffensperger Organizations: Republican, “, Georgia State University Convocation, Mr Locations: Atlanta, Georgia

☆ Trump and Vance head to battleground Georgia looking to put recent struggles behind them
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Arit John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Trump and Vance will campaign in the same venue Saturday, but without the fundraising spike, increased momentum or improved chances of winning a crucial state. Biden became the first Democrat to win Georgia in nearly 30 years when he beat Trump by just under 12,000 votes in 2020. So, let’s talk about the issues.”South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said the campaign should focus on drawing policy contrasts. “My problem with Vice President Harris is the policy choices she’s made.”Trump, however, is not shying away from the controversial and false claims about Harris’ heritage. A senior Trump campaign official told CNN that the campaign would not “shy away” from the former president’s comments.

Persons: Donald Trump, JD Vance, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, she’d, Harris, Vance, Biden, Trump, Georgia’s, Brad Raffensperger, Nevada –, Black ”, Republicans –, “, Alaska Sen, Lisa Murkowski, CNN’s Manu Raju, “ You’ve, Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, she’s, ” Graham, ” Trump, ”, MAGA, – Vance, –, CNN’s Alayna, Manu Raju, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Georgia, University Convocation Center, White, Peach State, Trump, Democrat, Sun, Black, National Association of Black Journalists, Chicago, Republicans, Republican Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Peach, North Carolina , Arizona, Nevada, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, India, Jamaica, Alaska, ”, Carolina, Arizona

The 48 states also include the 15 states where former President Donald Trump, the Republicans’ 2024 nominee, had his highest share of the vote in 2020. Since Biden was never the official nominee, states say there’s no problem for HarrisThe election authorities in 48 states and the District of Columbia offered highly similar comments explaining why Harris does not face any hurdles getting on the ballot there. Chelsea Carattini, spokesperson for Republican Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, said in an interview: “There’s no issue. It’s impossible to say for certain whether a particular court in a particular state might rule that the state’s elections authority was wrong. Any challenges after the convention would be challenges to a nominee who received the support of the convention delegates under convention rules.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, CNN Harris, Harris, Johnson, they’re, ”, Biden, Donald Trump, Patrick Gannon, ” Gabriel Sterling, Brad Raffensperger, it’s, haven’t, ’, Chelsea Carattini, Phil McGrane, “, ” Michon Lindstrom, Michael Adams, Kamala, ” Rachel Soulek, Monae Johnson, ” Landon Palmer, State Mac Warner, ” Laney Rawls, Wes Allen, Rawls, CNN’s Tierney Sneed, Derek Muller, ” CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Ethan Cohen Organizations: Washington CNN, Democrats, Democratic, CNN, ABC, of Columbia, Republicans, District of Columbia, North, North Carolina State Board, State Board, Democratic Party, Republican Georgia, Republican, Trump, Chelsea, Republican Idaho, Republican Kentucky, Republican West, State, Republican Alabama, ”, University of Notre Dame Locations: Florida, Montana, Georgia, Arizona , Wisconsin , Pennsylvania, North Carolina , Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, South Dakota, Alabama

But the court’s opinion also makes clear that this ruling is not a death knell for Smith’s case. Smith charged Trump with engaging in a “criminal scheme” to subvert the 2020 election; Trump has pleaded not guilty to four counts. In Nixon v. Fitzgerald, the Supreme Court held that a president enjoyed civil immunity for all “official acts.” Now, in Trump v. United States, the court grappled with which “official” acts should also receive criminal immunity. In order to settle the extent of Trump’s immunity, Chutkan should expeditiously schedule the mini-trial to hear witness testimony and receive other relevant evidence from both parties. In response to Trump’s assertion of civil immunity there, the DC Circuit put in place a lengthy discovery schedule for the lower court to determine the extent of Trump’s civil immunity.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, Danya Perry, Joshua Kolb, Neil Gorsuch, Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump’s, Norm Eisen, Tanya Chutkan, Smith, Trump, Nixon, Fitzgerald, —, Joshua Kolb CJ, John Roberts, Justice Department —, Mike Pence, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark —, Clark, Steve Jones, Meadows, Brad Raffensperger, Jones, Meadows’s, Sotomayor, Chutkan, Pence, Bill Barr —, Trump’s, slimming, ”, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson Organizations: CNN, Perry Law, Division, Southern, of, State, Moreland Commission, Nixon, Trump v ., Justice Department, Trump, White, Trump administration, Georgia, Meadows, Circuit, Congress, Capitol Police, Capitol, DC Circuit, Twitter Locations: of New York, New York, Moreland, Trump v, Trump v . United States, Georgia, Fulton, Meadows

Atlanta, Georgia CNN —The headwinds facing President Joe Biden’s reelection bid are as apparent in Georgia as any battleground. “President Trump still has to earn these Republican voters,” said Kelvin King, who was among Trump’s most prominent Black supporters in Georgia in 2016 and 2020. “Atlanta rent is way up, food prices soaring to record highs but Biden claims he’s lowering costs. “You know what you’re getting with Joe Biden,” Davis said in an interview in her store, the Beehive. “To me, former President Donald Trump just isn’t an option whatsoever.”The question is whether Singleton stands alone or represents a broader view among young voters.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Kelvin King, he’s, ” King, “, King, “ He’s, denialism —, Brian Kemp, Brad Raffensperger, ” Biden, Biden, who’s, “ We’ve, Keisha Lance Bottoms, “ We’re, aren’t, ‘, –, Democrat Mariama Davis, Joe Biden, ” Davis, He’s, Davis, it’s, battlegrounds Trump, Kamala Harris, ” Harris, “ Young, Kerry Singleton Jr, Singleton, ” Singleton, that’s Organizations: Georgia CNN, CNN, Republican, Trump, US, America, Biden, Democratic, Gov, Atlanta, Georgia, Democrat, Morehouse College Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nebraska

☆ Judge allows Trump co-defendant to continue to fight for 500,000 ballots from Fulton County to argue debunked fraud claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Nick Valencia | Jason Morris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Fulton County judge will allow a co-defendant of Donald Trump in the Georgia election subversion case to continue his effort to access thousands of 2020 ballots to argue debunked voter fraud theories. Floyd’s attorneys are pushing to access more than 500,000 ballots from Fulton County, claiming they intend to produce “evidence” that thousands of votes were improperly excluded from the final vote tally. Defendant Harrison Floyd with attorney Christopher Kachouroff in court during a hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse on May 28 in Atlanta. Dennis Byron/Pool/Getty ImagesChad Alexis, senior assistant attorney for Fulton County, pushed back on 2020 voter-fraud arguments from Floyd’s attorneys. The Fulton County racketeering case against Trump has effectively been at a standstill.

Persons: Donald Trump, Harrison Floyd, Trump, Joe Biden, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Brad Raffensperger, Floyd, Christopher Kachouroff, Dennis Byron, Chad Alexis, Alexis, ” Alexis, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade Organizations: CNN, Trump, Fulton, Republican, Courthouse Locations: Fulton, Georgia, Fulton County, Maryland, Atlanta

☆ Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz shares the playbook he thinks Trump will use to stay in power if he wins a second term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

If former President Donald Trump wins a second term in the November election, expect him to try to stay in power beyond his allotted four years, says Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Right now, a second Trump term is a real possibility. AdvertisementInstead, Trump is more likely to declare a state of emergency, Stiglitz said, in an attempt to delay or cancel elections. The executive branch has no power to move the date of elections, according to the National Constitution Center. AdvertisementChanging an election date via Congress would need the approval of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the two chambers would have to come up with a new election date, per the National Constitution Center.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joseph Stiglitz, Putin, Orbán, Bolsonaro, Stiglitz, Trump, Joe Biden, Brad Raffensperger, Mike Pence, I'm, Pence, Ronald Reagan Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, RealClearPolitics, Georgia, Capitol, Republican Senate, Congress, National Constitution Center, Senate, Representatives, Constitution Center, Congressional Research Service, CRS, :, Good Society Locations: Ohio

Trump himself has continued to lobby for absolute immunity, including before his appearance at a New York court where he’s on trial for business fraud. Dreeben told Barrett that the indictment against Trump is substantially about private conduct, meaning that a trial could proceed even if the Supreme Court finds some immunity for Trump’s official actions. Liberal justices weren’t impressed with Trump’s absolute immunity claimsIt was pretty clear where the court’s three liberals will be when the opinion lands. With arguments over, focus shifts to timing for decisionThe arguments about Trump’s immunity claim are over. In the immunity case, the court already helped Trump by denying the special counsel request last December to leapfrog the appeals court and resolve the question quickly.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith carte, Trump, John Roberts, Roberts, didn’t, he’s, ” Roberts, skeptically, ” Trump, John Sauer, Sauer, Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Elena Kagan, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, ”, Justice Barrett, Barrett –, Barrett, Smith, ” Barrett, Michael Dreeben, Dreeben, weren’t, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kagan, “, that’s, ” Kagan, Jackson, ” Jackson, “ I’m, Alito, they’d, ” Alito, ’, Ty Cobb, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Richard Nixon, Gore, Katelyn Polantz, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Trump, Appeals, DC Circuit, Georgia, Republican National Committee, Arizona, Justice Department, Trump isn’t Locations: New York, Arizona, Michigan , Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Washington

☆ Why Georgia continues to be a jump ball for Biden and Trump ahead of November
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Both Biden and Trump view Georgia as a highly-coveted electoral prize in the 2024 election. AdvertisementSo Georgia remains a highly-competitive swing state, with both Biden and former President Donald Trump hoping to win its 16 electoral votes. A view of the gold-domed Georgia State Capitol and downtown Atlanta. In last month's Georgia GOP presidential primary, Trump easily defeated his onetime opponent, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley. A bulk of Haley's voters came from the Atlanta metropolitan area, primarily in suburbs where Trump was tripped up by Biden in 2020.

Persons: Biden, —, Joe Biden's, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Brian Kemp's, Stacey Abrams, Donald Trump, Brynn Anderson, Trump, Biden eked, Steve Helber, Henry, Barack Obama, Jason Allen Will, Nikki Haley, Haley, weren't, Kemp, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger Organizations: Biden, Trump, Service, Black, Democratic, Georgia, Republicans, GOP, CBS News, Marist, Marist Georgia Poll, Georgia State Capitol, AP, The, Cobb, Fulton County Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Arizona , Michigan, Nevada , North Carolina , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, The Atlanta, Fulton County, Gwinnett, Clayton , DeKalb

ATLANTA (AP) — The charges against former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case seek to criminalize political speech and advocacy conduct that the First Amendment protects, his lawyers argued in a court filing challenging the indictment. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee plans to hear arguments on that filing and on two pretrial motions filed by former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer during a hearing set for Thursday. Lawyers for Shafer argue that he acted legally when he and other state Republicans signed a certificate asserting that Trump won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors. McAfee is forging ahead with the case even as Trump and other defendants have said they plan to seek a ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis. The charges against him include impersonating a public officer, forgery, false statements and writings, and attempting to file false documents.

Persons: Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, David Shafer, Shafer, Trump, “, McAfee, Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, Democrat Joe Biden, Brad Raffensperger, ”, Prosecutors, Biden, Shafer “, ” Willis, Wade Organizations: ATLANTA, Georgia Republican, Republicans, Trump, Republican, Democrat, Georgia Republicans, Georgia House, Georgia, Electoral, Democratic, Prosecutors Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Raffensperger

CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on and prosecute the Georgia 2020 election interference racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 14 of his co-defendants, Judge Scott McAfee ruled Friday, but only if she removes the special prosecutor with whom she engaged in a romantic relationship. CNN has reached out to the district attorney’s office regarding the next steps in the case. Wilis chose to dedicate much of her energy on what she believed was the most important case: prosecuting Trump for his attempts to steal the Georgia election in 2020. But the next 40 non-racketeering charges stemmed from roughly a dozen key incidents after the 2020 election. Trump and 14 of his allies have pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the sprawling racketeering case.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Willis, Nathan Wade, Trump, Willis ’, McAfee, ” McAfee, Wade, “, Wade “, Fulton, CNN Ashleigh Merchant, Mike Roman, Merchant, sully, ” Willis, ”, Wilis, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, Mike Pence Organizations: CNN, Court, Trump, Jail, Department Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, reimbursements, Wade’s, Fulton, Coffee County , Georgia

The ruling was not related to a defense effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., who is leading the case. Count 5 concerned a call that Mr. Trump made to David Ralston, who was then the speaker of the Georgia House. During that conversation Mr. Trump pressed Mr. Ralston to call a special legislative session to appoint new electors. Mr. Trump and his former personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, had faced the most charges, at 13 apiece. They include Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, and John Eastman, a legal architect of the plot to deploy fake electors in swing states that Mr. Trump lost.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani, Willis, “, importuned, Brad Raffensperger, ”, McAfee, Steven H, Count, Raffensperger, Joseph R, Biden, David Ralston, Ralston, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Anthony Michael Kreis, Kreis, Donald Trump, ” Norman Eisen, Eisen, Smith’s, Don Samuel, Ray Smith, Brian Kemp of, Nathan Wade Organizations: Fulton Superior Court, Prosecutors, Count, Trump, White House, Georgia State University, Act . Defense, Gov, Republican Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton, Fulton County ,, Brian Kemp of Georgia

☆ Nikki Haley received roughly 20,000 Election Day votes over Trump in the Georgia GOP primary after dropping her White House bid. Why it matters.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

With no major GOP opponents, ex-President Donald Trump easily won the Georgia primary on Tuesday. But Nikki Haley still won roughly 20,000 Election Day votes despite her exit from the WH race. Statewide, Haley won about 78,000 votes in the GOP primary. And roughly 20,000 of those votes were cast on Election day, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. AdvertisementThe ghost of the 2020 election still lingersIn the 2020 election, Biden won Georgia by a 0.23% margin, or roughly 12,000 votes out of roughly 5 million ballots cast.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, —, Donald Trump romped, Trump, Haley, Joe Biden, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Warnock, Republican Herschel Walker, Brian Kemp's, Stacey Abrams, Kemp, Brian Kemp, Georgia, Brynn Anderson, Fulton, Biden, Cobb, Brad Raffensperger, Trump's, Raffensperger Organizations: GOP, Georgia, WH, Service, Georgia Republican, South Carolina Gov, Trump, Super, The Atlanta, UN, Georgia Republicans, Republican, Independents, Gov, AP, Peach State Republicans, Biden, Georgia . College Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Cobb , DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Atlanta ,, —, DeKalb, Cobb, Fulton County, Trump

In a surprise move on Wednesday, a judge in Atlanta quashed six of the charges against former President Donald J. Trump and his allies in the sprawling Georgia election interference case, including one related to a call that Mr. Trump made to pressure Georgia’s secretary of state in early January 2021. The judge, Scott McAfee of Fulton Superior Court, left intact the rest of the racketeering indictment, which initially included 41 counts. The ruling was not related to a defense effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., who is leading the case. The nine-page ruling on Wednesday took aim at charges asserting that Mr. Trump and other defendants had solicited public officials to break the law. For example, one count against Mr. Trump said that he “unlawfully solicited, requested and importuned” the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to violate his oath of office by decertifying the election.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani, Willis, “, importuned, Brad Raffensperger Organizations: Fulton Superior Court Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton, Fulton County ,

☆ Trump wins rare court victory as Georgia judge dismisses 3 criminal counts against him
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump got a rare bit of good news on Wednesday as the judge overseeing his criminal case in Georgia dismissed three of the counts against him. And the judge did not dismiss the vast majority of the counts in the indictment, dismissing six out of 41 counts overall. So far, 10 criminal counts against Trump remain. Trump himself pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes that would flip the election results in his favor. He wrote that prosecutors didn't sufficiently explain how public officials would have violated their oaths of office if they allowed Trump a victory.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Trump's, Joe Biden's, Brad Raffensperger, McAfee's, didn't, litigators, McAfee, Willis, Jean Carroll Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, United, Prosecutors, New York Attorney, Trump Organization Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Atlanta, Manhattan

CNN —The presiding judge in the Georgia criminal case against Donald Trump and his allies has thrown out some of the charges against the former president and several of his co-defendants. The partial dismissal by Georgia Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee leaves most of the sprawling racketeering indictment intact. Trump was named in three of the counts specifically, meaning the former president is now facing 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Prosecutors alleged that Trump and some of his co-defendants violated the law by pressuring members of the Georgia legislature to unlawfully appoint presidential electors. “It was interesting that the judge made room for the possibility of an appeal by the state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Trump, Mark Meadows, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, ” McAfee, ”, ’, Elie Honig, ” Honig, “, ” Michael Moore, doesn’t, ” Moore, Fani Willis Organizations: CNN, Georgia, Trump, Prosecutors, White House, ’ CNN, Fulton Locations: Georgia, Georgia , New York, Washington, Florida, Fulton County

Rome, Georgia CNN —President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will hold dueling events Saturday in Georgia as their rematch for the White House moves from an inevitable likelihood to an inescapable reality. “Georgia has been ground zero on the national political landscape since 2018,” said Fred Hicks, a Democratic strategist based in Georgia. Trump’s Georgia headwindsBut there are headwinds for Trump in Georgia as well – many of his own making. Many in the party blamed Trump’s election denialism and criticism of mail-in ballots for lower party turnout in those runoff contests. Another Georgia Republican, Rep. Mike Collins, is scheduled to be there as well.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Georgia –, ”, Fred Hicks, “, Nikki Haley, It’s, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris, ” Rodriguez, Andrew Heaton, Georgia Democratic Sen, Raphael Warnock, Hicks, ” Hicks, baselessly, Brad Raffensperger, – David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler –, Jon Ossoff, Warnock, Biden’s, Brian Kemp, Raffensperger, Kemp, Fani Willis, Willis, Jule Windham, Laken Riley, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, “ Lincoln Riley, ” Biden, Mike Collins, Riley, Collins, “ You’re Organizations: Georgia CNN, White, Union, Biden, Trump, Georgia, Democratic, South Carolina Gov, Democrats, Senate, Georgia Democratic, MAGA, Inc, Black, Democratic Party, GOP, Georgia Gov, Republican, CNN, University of Georgia, Georgia Rep, Georgia Republican Locations: Rome, Georgia, Atlanta, Peach State, “ Georgia, Mexico, State, Philadelphia, New Hampshire , Wisconsin, Michigan, Trump’s Georgia, Fulton County, Macon County, Middle Georgia, Greene’s Georgia, Collins ’

☆ Opinion: Fani Willis and Nathan Wade need to step aside for the sake of the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion William Cooper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“The optics are horrific,” Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney said about the fundraiser before disqualifying Willis and her staff from pursuing charges against Jones in July 2022. More recently, Willis admitted to having a “personal relationship” with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired to help with Trump’s prosecution. Wade hasn’t just billed Fulton County over $650,000 under Willis’ supervision; he’s done so in irregular fashion. Combined with his personal relationship with Willis, they raise significant questions, including whether any of his outsized earnings have benefited Willis. If Willis and Wade step aside, other competent lawyers can make the case that Trump violated the law.

Persons: William Cooper, Substack, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Sen, Burt Jones, Willis, Robert McBurney, disqualifying Willis, Jones, Nathan Wade, Michael Roman’s, Wade, Attorney Willis, Trump’s, Brad Raffensperger, “, ” Trump, Raffensperger, team’s misjudgments, Wade’s, Wade hasn’t, Willis ’, ”, Scott McAfee, Trump, it’s Organizations: CNN, District, Republican, Trump, Attorney, Fulton County prosecutorial Locations: California, Fulton County , Georgia, Republican Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Georgia, Fulton

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