I have to admit for a short time after Fulton County DA Fani Willis announced the GA indictments I was looking forward to a real life Law & Order Arraignment Court Scene. With Trump standing there in a (quite large) group of co-defendants and lawyers and looking like just a common criminal. Being state court and one where cameras are in all the courtrooms it would have made a helluva scene. Sadly, In GA many people who are arrested, and especially “white collar” types are spared the “indignity” of being taken from booking to see a judge (when their turn comes up) to enter a plea. Nope, Trump and the rest were given the better part of two weeks just to surrender for arrest and booking. And arraignment was set for a still later date. Today. Sept. 6.
Then I learned that in Georgia defendants can waive appearing in court for arraignment and simply file their plea via a court filing. The Atlanta Journal Constitution did a nice write up on the status of things and as of yesterday evening all the defendants in the Fulton County case had filed not guilty pleas and waived appearing in court today to do it in person. Oh well. Still, we might well be in for an interesting day. In addition to waiting for a ruling from the federal judge considering whether Mark Meadows’ case will be shifted to federal court, there’s a hearing state court this afternoon:
With no defendants set to appear in person, McAfee scheduled a hearing for Wednesday afternoon on motions filed by two defendants, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, to separate out — or sever — their portions of the case from the other defendants.
The article goes on to note Judge McAfee has requested DA Willis offer an estimate on how long things will take if all 19 defendants are tried together. Or separately. Also how many witnesses might be called and the exhibits that will be introduced. Oh, and while pundits insist it’s not going to happen, the Journal-Constitution noted “The order suggested that McAfee hasn’t ruled out the request from DA Fani Willis to try all 19 defendants together.”
Things as we know have already gotten weird, with different parts of this “wheel of defendants” spinning off on their own. There’s Meadows (who has the best, if not a great chance) moving to get his case transferred to federal court. We have Chesebro and Powell demanding their right to a speedy trial which would start in late October and others looking to do the same. That was almost certainly an attempt to catch Willis flat-footed but it seems it took so long for her to file charges was she was making sure she’d be ready to go as soon as they were filed! She’s called their bluff. AND she’s not only saying “Let’s go – bring it on” but asking the judge to try the whole kit & kaboodle of defendants starting in October!
In the meantime, legal pundits have talked about today being the day that would kick off the real action. All the defendants and their lawyers (not all of whom are beholden to Trump for their paychecks) have been biding their time until today, “Arraignment Day” to see what others would do. Noises have been made, such as attempts to shift trials to federal court or various defendants wanting to sever their cases from the others. Also stuff like Fake Electors trying to avoid Trump throwing them under the bus by trying to throw him under it first with “I was acting on the directions of the President” arguments. This has had the potential to be a huge “Charlie Fox”, a cluster-f**k. Or a train wreck.
I think it’s more like an old fashioned Demolition Derby.
Hell, it even includes some cheating as in some drivers “accidently on purpose” banging into other’s cars as all of them enter the area and get what passes for organized for the start of the formal mayhem. Meadows leading the attempted exodus to federal court for example, others like Chesbro and Powell moving to exercise their right to a speedy trial, which will be televised and while it will give Trump (and his lawyers) a preview it will also air a lot of stuff live, day after day Trump doesn’t want the public to see. Especially not before the primaries start.
Then we have the other thing legal pundits have mentioned. There was never going to be nineteen people on trial. Some of the defendants will cut plea deals and cooperate with prosecutors. How many remains to be seen but I for one wouldn’t be surprised to see us down to as few as a dozen folks actually trying to fight the charges against them in a trial. I wrote recently that we are getting to “Everyone for themselves” territory and over the next couple of weeks I predict that’s exactly what’s going to happen in Georgia.
We have defendants that have already started taking shots at each other and trying to damage others before they are damaged. And it’s looking like almost all, if not every one of Trump’s co-defendants is pointing the finger at him. Even top folks like Meadows, Eastman, Chesebro and Powell. Just like in a Demolition Derby where as everyone nurses their old “beater” into the arena only to realize that ONE of the entrants is a freaking Army Humvee and they all have to team up right at the start to take it out or it will crush everyone else one-by-one his co-defendants are banging into Trump. But they are also already taking advantage of easy chances to knock someone else out if the chance comes.
It’s a courtroom/trial version of a Demolition Derby. Like I said, some “cheating” in the warmup to the starting horn has already taken place but the real fun, the true free-for-all is just getting started. And since it’s all going to take place live and on TV we can all see the show. It will I think be a sight to behold. Because make no mistake, Donald J. Trump is going to get bashed by other “cars” over and over again. None of the other “drivers” work for him, at least not anymore. Add in the fact that even if he somehow skated (just like he’s done his entire miserable life) and becomes President again if they are convicted in state court in Georgia they are going to do time in a Georgia State prison. Even if the Governor (himself a Republican) had the power to grant a pardon he’s made it clear that he’s not going to lift a finger to try and interfere with the rule of law in his state and the judicial process. Hell, he’s just said so again and quite explicitly. AND he made it clear other GOPers in his state should back the hell off and let things play out.
As I said, I don’t think we are going to see a big trial of all the co-defendants that don’t cut deals start late next month. (Or in November) but at least some of Trump’s minions are going on trial and it’s increasingly clear the theme is going to be “I did what I did because I was following Trump’s orders.” Worse, DA Fani Willis will introduce evidence of Trump’s knowledge of the whole scheme and his own freaking actions! The fun part for me is that a while back I realized that unlike NY or FL or even DC (with six unindicted co-conspirators but still only six) Trump has little control over his co-defendants. As time has gone on and that realization has settled in, AND that this is going to play out on TV, the medium that made him President and which he thought he was master of but not in this case Trump knows he’s lost control of the narrative.
No wonder he’s increasingly freaking out. Make no mistake, GEORGIA is on his mind!
“…a preview it will also air a lot of stuff live, day after day Trump doesn’t want the public to see.”
A good thought, and one “the pundits” rarely mention. Gee, what will tRump do with what he learns ftrom watching the guys who come first?
Most likely he’ll be sweatin’ bullets even more, ‘cuz there shouldn’t be anything they say about the other guys that will either be any different for him OR they’ll save the best for last – him!
And don’t forget witness tampering on a daily basis
when the evidence hits the light of day. Something tells me he might wind up in jail before HIS trial since neither Fani or Jack seem tolerant of his attempt to win in the media.
He had better pray Smith gets hi.to trial first,because the Club Fed iat Eglin is where. he’d likely end up and it is former AF Enlisted barracks and much nicer than a,GA prison. Willis can have a crack at him.after. I doubt he will.survive even a few months in GA’s jails.