Judge throws out 6 counts of Trump's Georgia election interference indictment

A Fulton County judge on Wednesday quashed a total of six counts contained in the election interference indictment against former President Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants.

The order from Judge Scott Mcafee dismissed six counts related to a specific charge: Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.

Of the 13 counts Trump faced, three of them were tossed by the judge's order. Trump now faces 10 counts in the case.

The ruling is a win for Trump and several of his co-defendants, who filed to dismiss the counts on the grounds that they were legally deficient.

Judge Mcafee essentially agreed, writing that they "fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission." He said the "lack of detail concerning an essential legal element" is "fatal."

"They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently, as the Defendants could have violated the Constitutions and thus the statute in dozens, if not hundreds, of distinct ways," the order says.

PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome Ga.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome Ga.
Mike Stewart/AP

The motions, called demurrers, were brought by Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, and others.

Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty last August to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Defendants Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Scott Hall subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants.

The former president has blasted the district attorney's investigation as being politically motivated.