34 votes

Donald Trump trials - Georgia election interference state court case - Megathread

Posted by boxer_dogs_dance
Tags: politics, usa.ga, republican party, presidents, donald trump, elections, 2020 us presidential election, election interference, megathread

Texts, documents hint at convicted witness bail bond business owner Scott Hall's wide ties to Coffee County breach, Trump allies ahead of trial

Hall played a part in various post-election events, and he's taken a plea deal. He will testify in the Georgia 2020 election trials.

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/special-reports/ga-trump-investigation/scott-halls-witness-trump-case-georgia/85-ad5ca637-6272-448b-8f52-c0c8aba74ef0

Hall's alleged involvement following the 2020 election reaches beyond the small south Georgia county. This includes personal relationships with those close to the former president.

Several media outlets, including CNN, have reported that Hall is related to David Bossie, chairman of the conservative group Citizens United who briefly led the former president's post-election legal challenges. Bossie's name appears in the Fulton indictment.

In late November 2020, David Shafer introduced Hall to a group of individuals including Robert Sinners, a current spokesperson for the Georgia Secretary of State's office who then worked for Trump's campaign. In the email, Shafer said Hall was "looking into the election" on behalf of the former president at Bossie's request.

This is described in Act 4 in the indictment, though Sinners is referred to as "unindicted co-conspirator Individual 4" by Fulton prosecutors. Sinners has since disavowed the post-2020 election activities that took place in Georgia.

Hall may also know about the letter former Justice Department official Jeffery Clark wanted to send that alleged the agency "identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia."

27 comments

  1. [6]
    boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/breaking-sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-in-georgia-case Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty! She knows where the bodies are buried. Her testimony could be very damaging.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/breaking-sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-in-georgia-case

    Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty! She knows where the bodies are buried. Her testimony could be very damaging.

    9 votes
    1. [5]
      mantrid
      Link Parent
      Thanks for continuing to post updates! I'm surprised there isn't any discussion about it here on Tildes.

      Thanks for continuing to post updates! I'm surprised there isn't any discussion about it here on Tildes.

      3 votes
      1. [4]
        Hobofarmer
        Link Parent
        For me, I'm just over the process. I want this guy gone from my life and feed.

        For me, I'm just over the process. I want this guy gone from my life and feed.

        7 votes
        1. [3]
          boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          Have you filtered the tag Donald Trump?

          Have you filtered the tag Donald Trump?

          1 vote
          1. [2]
            Hobofarmer
            Link Parent
            Sorry, I meant in general! Not on tens of topics here. I'm awaiting news of incarceration or more, some actual and real consequences for him.

            Sorry, I meant in general! Not on tens of topics here. I'm awaiting news of incarceration or more, some actual and real consequences for him.

            8 votes
            1. boxer_dogs_dance
              Link Parent
              The civil trial in New York seems promising for consequences. Summary judgement was granted declaring fraud. Now we have a trial on other issues but his entire business empire could be lost and is...

              The civil trial in New York seems promising for consequences. Summary judgement was granted declaring fraud. Now we have a trial on other issues but his entire business empire could be lost and is currently in receivership.

              The other cases are moving forward but it is too early to tell.

              3 votes
  3. boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    District Attorney Willis filing contests defendant Chesebro's assertion that key documents are covered under attorney client privilege. She claims no privilege relationship and that the documents...

    District Attorney Willis filing contests defendant Chesebro's assertion that key documents are covered under attorney client privilege. She claims no privilege relationship and that the documents are covered under the crime fraud exception to privilege. The filing is linked in the article.

    https://themessenger.com/politics/willis-chesebro-fake-electors-documents-exhibits-attorney-client-privilege

    6 votes
  7. boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    Opinion - Analysis: Why Fani Wilis is not disqualified under Georgia law

    Opinion - Analysis: Why Fani Wilis is not disqualified under Georgia law

    Wade’s hourly compensation as a Special Prosecutor does not give rise to a conflict of interest because that fee arrangement does not create a financial incentive for Wade to seek conviction rather than justice. Georgia law expressly contemplates that district attorneys may appoint lawyers in private practice as special prosecutors who may be compensated for their work. Ga. Unif. Super. Ct. R. 42.1 (“Special assistant district attorneys appointed by the district attorney including attorneys from personnel of public agencies may prosecute criminal cases.”). See Isaacs v. State, 259 Ga. 717, 722, 386 S.E.2d 316, 322 (1989) (“The appointment of assistant attorney general William Hill as a special assistant district attorney in this case was authorized under Rule 42.1 of the Uniform Superior Court Rules.”); State v. Cook, 172 Ga. App. 433, 437, 323 S.E.2d 634, 639 (1984) (“[T]he appointment by a district attorney of a Special Assistant District Attorney … is premised upon the inherent authority of the district attorney to obtain assistance in the performance of his prosecutorial duties.”) (emphasis in original).

    Special Prosecutors may be paid according “to whatever private arrangements regarding compensation are mutually agreeable to the district attorney and the appointee.” Cook, 172 Ga. App. at 437, 323 S.E.2d at 639 (citing Vernon v. State, 146 Ga. 709, 711, 92 S.E. 76 (1917)). The prevailing practice in Georgia is for Special Prosecutors to be compensated at an hourly rate. All three Special Prosecutors in Roman’s prosecution were paid by the hour, and it appears undisputed that at least one of the other two was paid the same $250 rate as Wade. See Fulton County DA Fani Willis explosive accusations: New documents in special prosecutor controversy, Fox5 Atlanta (“Documents show that Anna Cross was also paid $250 an hour.”). Compensating special prosecutors by the hour is not limited to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. For example, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia engaged hundreds of Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) in Fiscal Year 2023. See Office of the Attorney General, Outside Counsel Fee Information. Those records reflect that in 2022, 18 SAAGs were paid precisely the same $250 an hour as Wade, and some SAAGs made well over $1,000 an hour.

    The financial compensation paid to Wade is consistent with well-established practice in Georgia and does not give rise to a conflict of interest warranting prosecutorial disqualification. Neither Wade nor the hundreds of other Special Prosecutors in Georgia who are paid by the hour have an improper financial incentive to seek a conviction to the disadvantage of a defendant. Publicly available documents indicate that Wade’s compensation was not contingent on the outcome of the prosecution against Roman or anyone else.

    By contrast, the only two cases in Georgia that found that a Special Prosecutor’s financial compensation created a conflict of interest involved contingency fees which were expressly tied to the outcome of the case. In both Amusement Sales, Inc. v. State, 316 Ga. App. 727, 730 S.E.2d 430 (2012), and Greater Georgia Amusements, LLC v. State, 317 Ga. App. 118, 728 S.E.2d 744, 747 (2012), the district attorney appointed several Special Assistant District Attorneys to prosecute actions seeking in rem forfeiture of assets that were “used or intended for use in the course of, derived from, or realized through the foregoing pattern of racketeering activity.” Amusement Sales, 316 Ga. App. at 728, 730 S.E.2d at 433 (quoting OCGA § 16–14–7(a)). In contrast to Wade’s compensation, “[t]he SADAs were in private practice and entered into a contingency fee arrangement with the State to prosecute and recover a percentage of any forfeited proceeds.” Id. The Georgia Court of Appeal rejected that financial arrangement, explaining that “disqualification was warranted in light of the SADAs having a personal financial stake in the outcome.” Id. at 738. That contrasts sharply with an hourly fee like Wade’s, which does not depend on the outcome of the prosecution. Accordingly, because Wade’s hourly compensation does not create an improper motive to seek conviction, it does not give rise to a conflict of interest.

    4 votes
  11. [3]
    boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    Judge rules case against Trump may continue but either Willis or Wade must step down. Relationship showed poor judgement but case was not originally brought for financial gain

    Judge rules case against Trump may continue but either Willis or Wade must step down. Relationship showed poor judgement but case was not originally brought for financial gain

    2 votes
    2. boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      CNN keeps adding updates, so the section about keeping the case and one of the presecutors being required to step down in a few paragraphs down the page at this point.

      CNN keeps adding updates, so the section about keeping the case and one of the presecutors being required to step down in a few paragraphs down the page at this point.

  14. [6]
    Eji1700
    Link
    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/witness-says-da-fani-willis-and-nathan-wade-started-a-relationship-years-earlier-than-claimed Should this be provable it’s yet another amateur hour on one of...

    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/witness-says-da-fani-willis-and-nathan-wade-started-a-relationship-years-earlier-than-claimed

    Should this be provable it’s yet another amateur hour on one of the most important cases in history

    1 vote
    1. [3]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      Yes. Those of us following the case are waiting for the evidence and for the court to make a determination. It's not a terrible conflict of interest imho. There are attorneys married to each other...

      Yes. Those of us following the case are waiting for the evidence and for the court to make a determination.
      It's not a terrible conflict of interest imho. There are attorneys married to each other on opposing sides of specific cases and it isn't a problem. Willis and Wade are on the same team.

      However, it's a distraction and it gives the Trump team a message to sell to their supporters. Willis should have been prepared for being in the center of the news before she took on this case.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        Eji1700
        Link Parent
        It's more the fact that, if this pans out as true, they lied about it. If they've already lied to the court about the duration of their relationship and its start, then it's going to give trumps...

        It's more the fact that, if this pans out as true, they lied about it. If they've already lied to the court about the duration of their relationship and its start, then it's going to give trumps team a pile of ammo.

        1 vote
        1. boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          If they lied, it will also get them in trouble with the judge and possibly the local bar. I hope for everyone's sake that they didn't lie. If this case gets assigned to a different prosecutor it...

          If they lied, it will also get them in trouble with the judge and possibly the local bar. I hope for everyone's sake that they didn't lie. If this case gets assigned to a different prosecutor it risks being neglected to death and no outsider can prevent that outcome.

          3 votes