A judge in Fulton County, Georgia, on Monday rejected efforts made by former US President Donald Trump’s legal team to toss out evidence in an ongoing criminal probe examining alleged interference in the 2020 election results.
“The movants’ asserted ‘injuries’ that would open the doors of the courthouse to their claims are either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in the nine-page ruling.
“They are insufficient because, 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.”
In response to Trump’s efforts to disqualify Willis from the investigation, McBurney wrote that her efforts have been neither “partisan” nor “personal.”
“The drumbeat from the District Attorney has been neither partisan (in the political sense) nor personal, in marked and refreshing contrast to the stream of personal invective flowing from one of the movants,” McBurney, who presided over grand jury proceedings with Willis, wrote.
“Put differently, the District Attorney’s Office has been doing a fairly routine – and legally unobjectionable – job of public relations in a case that is anything but routine.
McBurney’s ruling is the second blow to Trump’s efforts in trying to dismiss the probe: earlier this month, the state’s Supreme Court rejected another suit made by Trump seeking to block the investigation.
The Monday development came days after Willis told local news on Saturday that her legal team had been "working for two-and-a-half years" and that they were "ready to go" on the case.
“The work is accomplished,” Willis said. “Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I’m making, and sometimes, when people are unhappy, they act in a way that could create harm."
Local law enforcement officials have been ramping up security in the area in preparation of Willis’ charging announcement. The effort has been applauded by Willis, who noted that she had written a letter to the sheriff about security efforts at the courthouse. “I’m not willing to put any of the employees or the constituents that come to the courthouse in harm’s way,” Willis noted at the time.