Trump impeachment: Hearing in Georgia, defeat in Washington
Donald Trump's lawyers have defended the former US president for the first time at a hearing in the course of the charges of election interference in the state of Georgia. Trump himself was not present at the meeting in Atlanta.
Trump's lawyer Steve Sadow called a trial during next year's election campaign "election interference" and called for the charges to be dropped. The public prosecutor rejected the accusations. Trump wants to move back into the White House after next year's election. One of the issues discussed at the hearing was the date for the start of the actual trial. This is expected in 2024.
In Georgia, Trump was indicted along with 18 other defendants for his attempts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the state. The Republican has also been charged in a separate federal case for his efforts to retrospectively overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Some of Trump's former associates have entered into an agreement with the public prosecutor's office in the proceedings and have pleaded guilty.
Legal defeat in Washington
Trump suffered a legal defeat in another case in the US capital Washington. An appeals court there ruled that civil lawsuits against Republicans over the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021 can proceed. Trump's supporters had stormed the seat of parliament in Washington at the time. Congress had convened there to formally confirm the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his supporters during a speech. Five people died as a result of the riots.
Some members of the Capitol Police and Democratic members of Congress then sued for damages. Trump filed a motion to dismiss the claims, arguing that he was immune from prosecution. The court has now rejected this motion - but did not rule on the admissibility of the claims. "The question of immunity depends on whether President Trump made the January 6 speech in an official or private capacity," the ruling states. "We do not definitively resolve this question today." The last word is therefore unlikely to have been spoken here.
In the legal battle related to the 2020 election in Georgia, Donald Trump faces charges of election interference, alongside 18 others, which some argue could potentially impact his future presidential bid in Atlanta. This criminal case, scheduled for trial in 2024, follows Trump's efforts to alter the election results in the state.
Despite his legal troubles, Trump's lawyers have also faced criticism in Washington, as an appeals court allowed civil lawsuits against Republicans over the January 6 Capitol riots to proceed. Trump, who had allegedly incited his supporters before the chaos ensued, now risks facing further scrutiny over his role in these violent events.
Source: www.dpa.com
