Trump trial 'not going to happen before the election': Georgia's governor

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp doubts that Donald Trump will face trial in his state before the 2024 election.

The former president and 18 of his allies were indicted this week on racketeering and other charges related to their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, but Kemp disputed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' stated goal of going to trial by March, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"This trial, despite what dates anybody is asking for, it’s not going to happen before the election," Kemp said.

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Kemp has drawn Trump's ire for refusing to go along with his election fraud claims, and the governor told a Republican conference on Friday morning that focusing on his loss three years ago would cost the GOP in next year's election.

“We have to be focused on the future – not something that happened three years ago," Kemp said. "We don’t need to be focusing on stupid things that aren’t going to happen before this election. We can deal with that later, after we win. We have to tell people what we are for – and then we have to have a candidate that can win the election. Because if we don’t win, we don’t get to govern."

The second-term governor, who has been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, declined to say whether he would run for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

“To me the future is 2024 – not 2026,” he said. “I hope y’all are getting my message today.”