Donald Trump’s trial in the state of Georgia for attempted voter fraud could last four months. That’s what a prosecutor said at the first hearing in the Atlanta court, to which neither Trump nor the other defendants had to appear. However, many other details about the procedure and the start of the process still seem completely unclear.
For example, jury selection was not included in the four months, the prosecutor said. About 150 witnesses are expected in the court proceedings. The public prosecutor spoke out in favor of starting the process in October. However, the judge was very skeptical.
Trump is said to have conspired with fellow campaigners
The indictment against Trump includes 13 counts and is based, among other things, on a law against organized crime. At the end of 2020, the then president, along with 18 other people who are also being charged, are said to have conspired to be declared the winner of the presidential election in the state of Georgia – despite his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden. Among the co-defendants are Trump’s former attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and his former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows. Trump has declared himself “not guilty”.
Several suspects, including Trump, are currently trying to separate their case from the others. They want to get a faster trial or have their trial moved to another court. This also makes the further procedure unclear.
Unlike at the hearing on Wednesday, Trump had to come to Atlanta in person almost two weeks ago, to the local jail, and present himself to the authorities as a defendant. He was allowed to leave after just 20 minutes: the ex-president and renewed Republican presidential candidate was released on bail of $200,000.
The Atlanta trial is the fourth in which Trump is on trial. He faces federal charges of conspiracy, attempted election interference and his role in his supporters’ storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. New York prosecutors are prosecuting him for paying hush money to a porn actress. And in Florida, Trump is facing a judge for hiding classified documents from authorities at his Mar-a-Lago estate.