Trump's Georgia racketeering trial could happen 'sooner than he expected': Ex-prosecutor

The plea deals accepted by Donald Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, as well as Georgia bail bondsman Scott Hall, have opened up Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee's schedule, leaving him free to set an earlier trial date for the former president.

According to former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, McAfee has been pressed by Fulton County DA Fani Willis to speed up her RICO trials and his now-open calendar could lead to him assigning trial dates to defense attorneys for the 16 remaining co-defendants.

In the case of Trump, Vance pointed out that McAfee is more than aware of the former president's myriad legal problems and court dates, most of which are headed to trial at later dates or have yet to be scheduled, and may see a window of opportunity to speed up Trump's trial since he won't be obligated to appear elsewhere during the lull.

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Writing on her Substack platform, Vance suggested, "Fani Willis could leave it up to the Judge to rule, but look for her to file a motion this week asking him to set that date. Remember, Willis was willing to try all of the defendants October 3. She’s ready to go."

"The people are entitled to justice in these cases, and it would make sense for Judge McAfee to schedule his case expeditiously, particularly since the existing schedule suggests it will be close to ready by the first of the year," she wrote before predicting, "Trump may face justice in Georgia sooner than he expected to.

"But it’s going to be hard to fit all of these trials in, and Trump is sure to complain about both political interference and violation of his rights to adequate preparation time; both are issues all judges will have to take seriously to protect the integrity of any convictions on appeal."

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