A co-defendant in the sweeping Fulton County, Georgia, 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump was denied his bid to sever his case from Sidney Powell.
Co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro, who like Powell filed a demand for a speedy trial, was denied a bid to have his case tried separately from Powell by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee after a more than 90-minute hearing. Both are slated to head to trial on Oct. 23.
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“Based on what’s been presented today, I am not finding the severance for Mr. Cheseboro or Powell is necessary to achieve a fair determination of the guilt or innocence for either defendant in this case,” McAfee said.
The judge also said that two lengthy trials done separately would clog up the court calendar and “inconvenience” jurors.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged the pair and 17 other defendants, including Trump, with racketeering violations, among other felonies, over efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. She has been adamant about trying all 19 together.
It remains unclear when the other 17 co-defendants, including Trump, will head to trial, but McAfee appeared skeptical about trying everyone together in October.
McAfee said that trying all 19 in October would be “a bit unrealistic.”
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade revealed early on that Willis’s team would expect a trial with all defendants to last four months and that about 150 witnesses would be called.
The hearing marked the first publicly broadcast event of the likely lengthy trial in the sprawling RICO case.
All 19 defendants are charged under Georgia’s racketeering law over their alleged role in attempting to subvert the 2020 election results in the state.
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Powell is facing seven charges and is accused of being in direct contact with Trump supporters who breached a voting system in rural Coffee County. Chesebro is also facing seven charges and is accused of structuring Trump’s scheme to put forward alternate slates of electors in Georgia and other battleground states.
All defendants in the case had entered a not guilty plea and waived their arraignment appearance, which was scheduled for Wednesday. Both Powell and Chesebro were not in the courtroom Wednesday afternoon.
