Trump won't help the co-defendents who went all-in to help him, even at the point where helping them would seemingly improve his own chances of getting out from under the Georgia election interference charges. Scott Hall, one of 18 facing charges with the ex-president, has pleaded guilty to tampering with electronic voting machines in a deal that requires he testify against the bigger fish.
Hall is the first person charged with Trump to plead guilty in the case, which alleges a widespread racketeering conspiracy to overturn Trump's 2020 electoral loss to President Joe Biden. At a hearing in Fulton County Superior Court, Hall confirmed to Judge Scott McAfee that his plea deal requires him to testify in future proceedings in the case, including trials of his co-defendants, including Trump. The 59-year-old bail bondsman will serve five years of probation, pay a $5,000 fine, and perform 200 hours of community service as part of that deal.
Trump also abandoned his effort to move the trial to federal court. Perhaps he's all-in on simply pardoning himself January 20, 2025, but the effort was doomed to failure anyway and he doesn't like to be seen to lose even the little things.
Trump and 18 others have pleaded not guilty 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. The former president says his actions were not illegal and that the investigation is politically motivated.
Trump's filing on Thursday said his decision is based on his "well-founded confidence that this Honorable Court intends to fully and completely protect his constitutional right to a fair trial and guarantee him due process of law throughout the prosecution of his case in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia."
