Well, this was an unexpected development in the ongoing Fulton County Case.
Attorneys for President Trump have backtracked on earlier plans to move the trial venue from Fulton County to a federal court—this was widely regarded as the superior option for President Trump.
The latest reports indicate that the former President and his legal team are now backpedaling on earlier plans to change where the Fulton County case will be tried—they’re sticking with Fulton County, at least for now.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Tamar Hallerman presented the court documents and exclaimed:
“The move is a big surprise. Conventional wisdom for a long time was that Trump would try removal and then appeal any losses.
This comes after his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was denied removal by a district court judge. He has appealed.”
The move is a big surprise. Conventional wisdom for a long time was that Trump would try removal and then appeal any losses.
This comes after his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was denied removal by a district court judge. He has appealed.
— Tamar Hallerman (@TamarHallerman) September 28, 2023
Journalist Sam Gringlas concluded: “This means Trump’s Georgia trial will be televised.” In my opinion, a televised trial will likely help President Trump.
Trump's Georgia lawyer says his client won't try to move his case to federal court.
A judge has already denied removal by Meadows and has been skeptical of others. Trump's lawyer observed these hearings.
This means Trump's Georgia trial will be televised. pic.twitter.com/c1rkh4urLa
— Sam Gringlas (@gringsam) September 28, 2023
The Epoch Times broke down the surprising development:
If President Trump had moved his case to federal court, he could have sought to get the charges completely dropped on the grounds that federal officials are immune from prosecution over actions taken in their official capacities.
President Trump is still making arguments in the state court that he should be exempt from prosecution due to his federal position.
CBS News also added: “A federal judge has denied requests made by Trump co-defendants Cathy Latham, David Shafer and state Senator Shawn Still, to move their prosecutions in the Fulton County election interference case to federal court.”
A federal judge has denied requests made by Trump co-defendants Cathy Latham, David Shafer and state Senator Shawn Still, to move their prosecutions in the Fulton County election interference case to federal court. https://t.co/IaoEWf13SL
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 30, 2023
The left-wing, mainstream media attempted to dissect the sudden change in direction from the former President’s legal team.
JUST IN: Donald Trump will not try to move his Fulton County, Georgia case to federal court, according to a new court filing.@lawofruby explains why the decision doesn't surprise her. pic.twitter.com/aje1Afz5p2
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 28, 2023
MSNBC attempted to analyze the change and provide their own reasoning for the Trump legal team’s logic:
To be sure, it’s possible that Trump would rather be in federal than state court but has nonetheless weighed the pros and cons of trying for removal and decided against it.
His Georgia lawyer, Steve Sadow, is well-experienced and has observed the ongoing federal court removal proceedings of Trump’s co-defendants, so it’s safe to assume there’s been a strategic decision, even if it’s one that isn’t fully captured by the generic explanation to the court on Thursday.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!