Current:Home > FinanceTrump may try to have his Georgia election interference case removed to federal court -Nova Finance Academy
Trump may try to have his Georgia election interference case removed to federal court
View
Date:2025-04-19 02:12:15
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump have notified Georgia state court in Fulton County that they may seek to remove his election interference case to federal court, according to a court filing.
If Trump seeks removal to federal court, he would be the sixth defendant in District Attorney Fani Willis' sweeping racketeering case to do so, joining former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former DOJ official, Jeffrey Clark, former Coffee County GOP chair Cathy Latham, current Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still, and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer.
Meadows' motion for removal, filed on Aug. 15 by his attorney George Terwilliger and Atlanta-based attorney Joseph Englert, is based on a federal law that they argue requires the removal of criminal proceedings brought in state court to the federal court system when someone is charged for actions they allegedly took as a federal official acting "under color" of their office.
MORE: Why Trump, other Georgia defendants might try to get cases removed to federal court
Shafer, in a separate filing Thursday, accused one of the lead prosecutors in the case of an "improper communication" with him after he was charged -- and is requesting an evidentiary hearing and sanctions on the matter.
Shafer, who was one of Trump's so-called "fake electors" in the alleged election interference plot, claims in the filing that the private law firm of Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade sent a mailer to his home essentially offering him representation by the firm of the prosecutor that indicted him.
The filing says the front of the brochure sent to Shafer's home "features a photo of Special Prosecutor Wade and [his partner] smiling." The inside, the filing states, directs Shafer to "please contact us today to discuss your criminal case."
The filing also says that the mailer included a letter with Shafer's name on it, written by special prosecutor Wade's partner, with the subject "IMPERSONATING A PUBLIC OFFICER"-- the very charge that Shafer faces in the indictment.
Shafer's attorney, Craig Gillen, says in the filing that the mailer is in "violation of the anti-contact provision," but claims that it is "far more egregious than a typical violation of the rule, given the fact that it constitutes a communication with a criminal defendant by the lead prosecuting attorney's law firm regarding charges in which the attorney has been responsible for bringing."
The filing asks the judge in the case to hold an evidentiary hearing on the matter.
The Fulton County district attorney's office declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.
Wade's law partner in his private firm did not immediately return a request for comment.
Trump and 18 others have pleaded not guilty to all charges in a Fulton County indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
The former president says his actions were not illegal and that the investigation is politically motivated.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Alabama naming football field after Nick Saban. How Bryant-Denny Stadium will look this fall
- Longtime US Rep Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who had pancreatic cancer, has died
- From 'Twister' to 'Titanic,' these are the 20 best disaster movies ever
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- British Open 2024: Second round highlights, Shane Lowry atop leaderboard for golf major
- West Virginia governor’s bulldog gets her own bobblehead after GOP convention appearance
- Biden pushes party unity as he resists calls to step aside, says he’ll return to campaign next week
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- How Max Meisel Is Changing the Comedy Game
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Climate protesters steer clear of Republican National Convention
- Outside the RNC, small Milwaukee businesses and their regulars tried to salvage a sluggish week
- FedEx, UPS warn deliveries may be delayed due to Microsoft outage
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Detroit’s giant slide is back. There will probably be fewer bruises this time
- Churchill Downs lifts suspension of trainer Bob Baffert following Medina Spirit’s failed drug test
- Alabama names Bryant-Denny Stadium field after Nick Saban
Recommendation
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
North Carolina governor’s chief of staff is leaving, and will be replaced by another longtime aide
Judge turns down ex-Rep. George Santos’ request to nix some charges ahead of fraud trial
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Break a Dish
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Nevada judge who ran for state treasurer pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges
Check your VPN, abortion seekers. New 'Vagina Privacy Network' aims to keep data safe
Authorities recapture fugitive who used dead child's identity after escaping prison in 1994