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Former President Donald Trump during his election campaign appearance: election fraud declared as freedom of speech
Photo: Mike Roemer / AP
Former President Donald Trump's lawyers are busy these days - from proceedings over hush money to a porn star to bail negotiations in the New York fraud trial. In another trial, they are supposed to fend off election fraud allegations against Trump in the US state of Georgia. The lawyers have now suffered defeat there.
The judge in charge of the election fraud case has rejected a request from the ex-president to stop the case on constitutional grounds. Trump's lawyers had argued that the First Amendment of the American Constitution applied in the case - this protects, among other things, freedom of speech in the USA.
However, Judge Scott McAfee rejected this argument on Thursday, as US media consistently reported, citing court documents. “Even key political statements are not protected from prosecution if they are suspected to be used for criminal behavior,” McAfee explained his decision. Only a jury can decide whether there was criminal intent behind the statements made by Trump and his co-defendants.
Former Trump associates pleaded guilty
Trump and several others are facing charges in Georgia over their attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the state. The Republican had lost to Democrat Joe Biden at the time and tried in various ways to subsequently change the election result, including by putting pressure on political leaders at the federal level and in states such as Georgia.
Several of Trump's former associates, including prominent conservative media figure Jenna Ellis, entered into plea deals with prosecutors after the indictment and pleaded guilty.
The 77-year-old Trump wants to move back into the White House this year after his defeat in 2020. He is considered a virtually certain Republican candidate to run again in the presidential election in November against the Democratic candidate Biden.
mrc/dpa