Supporters of former President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have praised Judge Scott McAfee's decision to drop three charges against Trump in the Georgia election fraud case against him.
Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted on a total of 41 counts last August for conspiring to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 election win in Georgia, following a years-long investigation lead by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed the case is a politically motivated attempt to help Biden win the 2024 election.
In a new ruling on Wednesday, McAfee, who is presiding over the racketeering case, quashed six counts in the indictment, including three counts against Trump for his alleged efforts to solicit former Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger into violating their oaths of office.
McAfee ruled that the allegations made against the defendants were not detailed enough, finding that "the lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned's opinion, fatal." Willis' office can refile the counts or appeal his ruling.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign and Willis' office via email.
The Republican members of the House Judiciary committee reacted to McAfee's decision on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. "How embarrassing for Fani Willis," X account @JudiciaryGOP wrote.
Leo Terrell, a Civil Rights Attorney and Fox News contributor, wrote: "BAD NEWS FOR YOU #FaniWillis."
Valentina Gomez, a GOP candidate for Missouri's Secretary of State who identifies as MAGA, posted: "To be honest all of the charges against Trump are part of a political agenda. Election interference."
Evan Kilgore, a Trump supporter who frequently posts political news on X, called McAfee's decision a "huge win."
"This is HUGE. KICK ROCKS FANI WILLIS!!!" Graham Allen, host of "Dear America" on Rumble, posted.
X user @_johnnymaga shared the news of McAfee's ruling and wrote: "Next up: disqualifying Fani Willis."
Willis faces possible disqualification from the case after it was revealed that she had a personal relationship with the special prosecutor on the case, Nathan Wade. Both Willis and Wade have denied that there is a conflict of interest barring them from working on the case.
Following McAfee's ruling, Steve Sadow, lead defense counsel Trump in the Georgia case told Newsweek in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the court made the "correct legal decision" to quash "important counts" of the indictment.
"The ruling is a correct application of the law, as the prosecution failed to make specific allegations of any alleged wrongdoing on those counts," Sadow said. "The entire prosecution of President Trump is political, constitutes election interference and should be dismissed."
While the charges have been dropped, Trump still faces several others and Willis' case can continue without them. Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor and legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, wrote on X following McAfee's ruling that the case is a "marathon, not a sprint." He called the ruling "not a good look" for Willis, but noted that it can be remedied.
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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
