Elections
Judge Dismisses Three Charges Against Trump in Georgia Election Case
In a significant development, the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election-subversion case in Georgia has dismissed two charges against him and another charge against some of his co-defendants. The ruling, issued by Judge Scott McAfee, was based on the determination that three of the charges fall under federal jurisdiction, not state.
Judge McAfee largely upheld the broader indictment brought last year by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis but dismissed charges relating to the filing of false documents. He ruled that these charges must proceed in federal court rather than state court, citing the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which establishes that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state law.
“Because Counts 14, 15, and 27 lie beyond this State’s jurisdiction and must be quashed, the Defendants’ motions to dismiss the indictment under the Supremacy Clause are granted in part,” McAfee wrote in his Thursday ruling.
Just The News explains how earlier this year, McAfee dismissed six other counts, including three against Trump, due to insufficient detail in the indictment. As a result of these rulings, Trump now faces eight counts, down from the original 13 filed against him. The initial indictment contained 41 counts against Trump and 18 of his allies, many of whom have since pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for testimony in future trials.
Notably, the most serious charge—the violation of Georgia’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act—remains intact. McAfee rejected attempts to dismiss the racketeering charge, declaring that it was “facially sound and constitutionally sufficient.”
However, in a footnote, McAfee acknowledged that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity could potentially affect the case’s future. “Unlike the many other challenges raised by the Defendants, the impact of Presidential immunity has not been fully briefed or argued by the parties, and this order does not reach that issue,” McAfee added.
The charges were challenged by defendants John Eastman and Shawn Still, but Trump’s legal team confirmed that the dismissal of the three charges applies to him as well. “President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again,” said Trump’s defense attorney Steven Sadow.
No trial date has been set as Trump and his co-defendants continue to appeal McAfee’s decision to allow Fani Willis to prosecute the case. Trump’s legal team has argued that Willis should be disqualified due to an inappropriate romantic relationship with then–special prosecutor Nathan Wade, which they claim presents a conflict of interest. The Georgia appeals court has delayed the trial indefinitely as it prepares to hear arguments in December on whether Willis should be removed from the case.
Elections
Canada Beefs up Border Security After Trump Threatened Sweeping Tariffs
In November, president-elect Donald Trump announced on social media that he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico if they do not take an active role in containing illegal immigration as well as the level of illicit drugs entering into the United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, after which the Canadian government vowed to secure the border. “We got, I think, a mutual understanding of what they’re concerned about in terms of border security,” Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, who accompanied Trudeau at Mar-a-Largo, said of the meeting in an interview with Canadian media. “All of their concerns are shared by Canadians and by the government of Canada.”
“We talked about the security posture currently at the border that we believe to be effective, and we also discussed additional measures and visible measures that we’re going to put in place over the coming weeks,” LeBlanc continued. “And we also established, Rosemary, a personal series of rapport that I think will continue to allow us to make that case.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is preparing to beef up its immigration enforcement capabilities by hiring more staff, adding more vehicles and creating more processing facilities, in the chance that there is an immigration surge sparked by Trump’s presidential election victory. The moves are a change in direction from Trudeau’s public declaration in January 2017 that Canada was a “welcoming” country and that “diversity is our strength” just days after Trump was sworn into office the first time.
The Daily Caller notes the differences in response from the Canadian government verses Mexico’s:
Trudeau’s recent overtures largely differ from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has indicated she is not willing to bend the knee to Trump’s tariff threats. The Mexican leader in November said “there will be a response in kind” to any tariff levied on Mexican goods going into the U.S., and she appeared to deny the president-elect’s claims that she agreed to do more to beef up border security in a recent phone call.
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