When Donald Trump and several of his allies were first indicted in Georgia, the former president had plenty to say about the felony charges, which he condemned as part of a “witch hunt.” Exactly seven months later, there were some notable developments in the case, though this time, the Republican had a more muted reaction. NBC News reported:
The judge presiding over the election interference case in Georgia has dismissed some of the criminal counts against former President Donald Trump. In a ruling Wednesday, Judge Scott McAfee found that six of the counts in the indictment against Trump and some of his co-defendants, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani, lacked sufficient detail.
“As written, these six counts contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission, i.e., the underlying felony solicited,” McAfee wrote. “They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently.”
I more or less assumed that Trump would celebrate the news, claim to have been exonerated, launch a fundraising campaign in response to the news, and perhaps even deliver public remarks as part of a misguided victory lap.
But that’s not what happened. On the contrary, the former president didn’t tout the developments on his social media platform and didn’t hold a press conference. His 2024 campaign team didn’t issue a written statement, and neither did the super PAC aligned with his political operation.
Trump and his team received some good legal news — which isn’t an altogether common occurrence — but it appeared that they weren’t at all interested in letting anyone know.
The reason, as the Republican’s lawyers likely made clear to him, was that the news wasn’t that good.
The judge in Fulton County didn’t say Trump was innocent, he said a few of the pending criminal counts in the indictment needed additional clarity. Local prosecutors can refile the charges with more detail, or they can appeal the ruling, though both steps would delay the overall process.
There’s a reasonably good chance that they’ll simply proceed with their case and the charges that remain intact.
As MSNBC colleague Jordan Rubin explained, the judge’s latest move “might not ultimately have much effect on the case against Trump and others,” because “the initial 41-count indictment itself, including the powerful RICO charge, isn’t dismissed.” Or put another way, the Republican Party’s presumptive 2024 presidential nominee was facing 91 criminal counts across multiple jurisdictions, including 13 in Georgia, and now he’s facing 88 criminal counts across multiple jurisdictions, including 10 in Georgia. For Trump, that’s a small step in the right direction — and for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wilis, it’s a notable setback — but it makes sense that the former president wasn’t overly eager to talk about it. Speaking of Willis, Judge McAfee is still weighing whether or not to disqualify the local prosecutor in this case. Once that opinion is issued, it’s a safe bet that Trump will have something to say about it. A ruling on the question is expected this week. Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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