Trump abruptly dumps lawyer before Georgia surrender: reports

Donald Trump is reportedly shaking up his legal team as he prepares to surrender to authorities in Georgia.

The former president was indicted with 18 co-defendants on racketeering and other charges related to their effort to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, and he's swapping out his legal representation before he's booked into the Fulton County Jail on Thursday evening.

"Former President Trump has replaced his top GA lawyer ahead of his surrender, sources tell me," reported CNN's Kristen Holmes. "Drew Findling, the lawyer who has led Trump’s defense in Georgia, is being replaced by Steven Sadow, an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney."

A Trump source told CNN the change was not related to Findling's performance, while another source familiar with Sadow described him as the “best criminal defense attorney in Georgia."

Sadow criticized racketeering charges in 2021 when asked about potential charges against the ex-president, saying the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was exploited by prosecutors to introduce evidence that otherwise would not be admissible.

“I have been retained to represent President Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia case. The president should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him,” Sadow said in a statement. “We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open minded jury finding the president not guilty. Prosecutions intended to advance or serve the ambitions and careers of political opponents of the president have no place in our justice system.”