Georgia Judge Denies Trump’s Request To Stop Probe Into His Plot To Overturn State’s 2020 Election

Georgia Judge Robert McBurney denied Donald Trump’s bid to halt the investigation and potential prosecution of the former president for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state.

In a nine-page ruling, McBurney said that it is too soon for Trump to object to Georgia prosecutors’ investigation, specifically because they have not even indicted him yet.

“While being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation,” wrote McBurney.

McBurney took a jab at Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, writing that “For some, being the subject of a criminal investigation can, a la Rumpelstiltskin, be turned into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic.”

The judge spent a year overseeing District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation into Trump’s claims of election fraud in Georgia. Earlier this month, the state’s Supreme Court unanimously rejected another effort by Trump to shut down Willis’ probe.

Willis is likely to indict Trump in August, along with a number of Trump allies who aided him in trying to overturn the 2020 election results. The former president has accused Willis of conducting a witch hunt against him in order to damage his reputation amid the 2024 election cycle.

If and when Willis brings charges against Trump, that is when he can file motions to challenge the proceedings, said McBurney.

“Guessing at what that picture might look like before the investigative dots are connected may be a popular game for the media and blogosphere, but it is not a proper role for the courts and formal legal argumentation,” the judge wrote, referencing both of Trump’s attempts to disrupt state investigations into him.

An indictment from Willis would only add to the mountain of legal woes that Trump is currently facing, as he has received two indictments in the past few months and is expecting to receive a third for his role in the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021.