Donald Trump’s legal team was handed a potential victory Wednesday after Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed a new law that could allow the president to recoup millions of dollars in legal expenses connected to the state’s election interference case against him.
The legislation, Senate Bill 244, would allow criminal defendants to recover legal costs from taxpayers if a prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct and the case is thrown out, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, quickly celebrated the move.
“Governor Kemp signing SB 244 represents a turning point in holding unethical, opportunistic and deceitful prosecutors accountable for their misconduct,” Sadow said in a statement obtained by the Journal-Constitution.
Trump has racked up at least $2.7 million defending himself against racketeering and conspiracy charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results, the outlet said. The Georgia Republican Party has spent another $2 million on some of Trump’s co-defendants.
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But the “potential boost” for Trump and his allies will depend on whether the Supreme Court of Georgia rules in the president's favor.
“The Fulton County case is on hold while Georgia’s top court weighs whether to take up a pivotal appeal that could decide how the prosecution proceeds,” the Journal-Constitution reported. “If the court upholds the disqualification of District Attorney Fani Willis, as ordered by a lower court, Fulton County taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in defense fees under the new law.”
The lead sponsor of the bill, former state Sen. Brandon Beach, made clear the legislation was crafted with Trump in mind.
“If (the case) is dismissed completely because of her misconduct, then those who are indicted should have their reputations back and have an avenue to seek compensation for the money they spent in a case that was fraught with missteps,” Beach, who stepped down when Trump appointed him U.S. treasurer, told the Journal-Constitution publication Wednesday.
The bill also establishes a formal process to compensate wrongly convicted individuals.