Attorneys Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro filed motions to sever their trials, according to NBC News. Chesebro sought to sever his trial from Powell and Powell sought to sever her trial from former President Donald Trump and the other co-defendants in the election interference case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee “has scheduled a hearing Wednesday to consider (their) motions.”
McAfee denied Chesebro’s motion to sever his trial from co-defendant Powell. This means the two will be tried together on Oct. 23, per CNN. The trial date for other defendants has not been set yet. All 19 defendants in the case have pleaded not guilty.
Here’s a closer look at the motions filed by Powell and Chesebro.
What charges do Powell and Chesebro face?
Powell and Chesebro are facing charges in connection to the Fulton County, Georgia, case. The indictment for that case states, “Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump,” according to the Deseret News.
Not all defendants will face all charges in the case, perthe Deseret News. Here’s a look at what specific charges Powell and Chesebro face:
Powell is charged with “violation of the Georgia RICO act, two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy and conspiracy to defraud the state,” according to PBS.
Chesebro is charged with “violating the Georgia RICO act, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and conspiracy to commit filing false documents,” per PBS.
Why are Powell and Chesebro filing motions to sever charges?
Powell filed a motion to sever her case from the other co-defendants. Chesebro filed a motion to sever his case from Powell’s.
In a motion filed last month, Powell’s defense attorney Brian Rafferty said Powell “has no substantive connection with any other defendant regarding the charges in the indictment,” NBC News reported.
The motion claimed Powell “did not represent President Trump or the Trump campaign” and “It cannot be disputed that Ms. Powell went her own way following the election, and she never reached an agreement on a course of action with any indicted or unindicted coconspirator — and certainly not any illegal course of action,” per NBC News.
Chesebro’s attorney Manubir S. Arora filed a motion on Sept. 1 to sever his trial from Powell because he alleged “if Mr. Chesebro and Ms. Powell are forced to be tried together, the state will attempt to lump them together in an attempt to convict Mr. Chesebro via a “conspiracy” or “RICO” theory based on the conduct of the co-defendant which has no relation to anything for which he stands accused.”