Georgia Judge Drops Legal ‘Smackdown’ On Donald Trump, Reports CNN’s Sara Murray

CNN offered some harsh characterizations of a Monday ruling against former President Donald Trump, whose attempt to stop the investigation into his role in stealing the 2020 presidential election was rejected by a Georgia state judge.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney issued a nine-page ruling that not only rejected Trump’s request but was, as CNN’s Dana Bash called it, a “dressing-down” of the former president. CNN political correspondent Sara Murray went even further, calling it a legal “smackdown” against the request to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis and have all the evidence seen by the grand jury thrown out.

Trump, who has not yet been indicted on any charges in Georgia but has received word that he’s the target of an investigation, was roundly admonished by McBurney who wrote:

The movants’ asserted “injuries” that would open the doors of the courthouse to their claims are either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized. They are insufficient because, while being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation. …

Arguments like those being made prematurely in the pending motions can be more effectively (and reasonably) presented and ruled upon when the full picture of who is being charged with what has been painted. Guessing at what that picture might look like before the investigative dots are connected maybe a popular game for the media and blogosphere, but it is not a proper role for the courts and formal legal argumentation.

For her part, Willis told a local news outlet:

Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I am making, and sometimes when people are unhappy they act in a way that could create harm. The work is accomplished. We’ve been working for two and a half years and we’re ready to go.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

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