Trump asks judge to sever Georgia election case from co-defendants

In a Thursday court filing, Former President Trump asked the judge presiding over the 2020 election case in Georgia to sever his case from the co-defendants who requested a speedy trial.

Trump’s legal team argued in the new filing that they would not have sufficient time to prepare their case for the Oct. 23 trial scheduled for Kenneth Chesebro, who has demanded his constitutional right to a speedy trial. 

The filing argued that requiring Trump’s legal team to be adequately prepared in less than two months would violate Trump’s constitutional right to a fair trial and due process.

“Respectfully, requiring less than two months preparation time to defend a 98-page indictment, charging 19 defendants, with 41 various charges including a RICO conspiracy charge … would violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law,” the filing read. 

The former president’s defense team also referred to a separate state court filing, which outlines various consequences of demanding a speedy trial, and claimed Trump would endure “substantial adverse procedural and substantive ‘effects’” without separating his case from the others.

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked the judge to set the Oct. 23 trial date for all 19 defendants in the case, arguing that she wants to try all the defendants together. 

Earlier Thursday, Trump pleaded not guilty to 13 charges in the Georgia case, which accused Trump and 18 co-defendants of conspiring to overturn the election results in Georgia. All defendants were charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in a sprawling case that also brings other related charges. Trump waived his right to an arraignment Thursday as well.

Along with Chesebro, at least one other defendant has also asked for a speedy trial: Sidney Powell. Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, is trying to move his case to federal court, and argued that position before a judge Monday.