Judge sets quick Oct. 23 trial date for Trump Georgia co-defendant

The Georgia judge overseeing President Trump’s election interference case set a lightning quick Oct. 23 trial date for co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro after the former Trump campaign lawyer demanded a speedy trial.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee agreed to the date proposed by the prosecution but only for Chesebro, noting that no decision has been made about when Trump and the other 17 co-defendants will go on trial in the sprawling racketeering case.

Trump has already asked McAfee to separate his case and other co-defendants may follow suit.

But a trial kicking off so soon could provide a dramatic early precursor of what Trump will face later and may bare evidence against Trump that he would rather not be revealed before the presidential election campaign kicks off in earnest.

The rapid fire development came after Chesebro demanded a speedy trial, which under Georgia law requires a trial to start by Nov. 1. District Attorney Fani Willis quickly agreed.

Trump on Thursday filed legal papers of his own, formally asking for his case to be severed from Chesebro’s.

Willis had earlier asked for a March 4 trial date in the case, which accuses Trump of leading a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.

Trump has not proposed a date but he has sought to dramatically delay all his criminal cases until at least after the 2024 election, in which he hopes to win a return to the White House.

The legal back-and-forth came as Trump prepared to turn himself in to authorities in Atlanta later Thursday.

Just hours earlier, Trump fired his lead defense lawyer in Georgia on the eve of his arrest.

Drew Findling, a celebrity Atlanta defense lawyer who led the team that negotiated a bail agreement with Fulton County authorities, was unceremoniously dumped and replaced by Steve Sadow, who is also a prominent legal figure in Georgia.

“[Trump] should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him. We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open minded jury finding [him] not guilty,” Sadow said in a statement.

No reason was given for the shakeup.

Trump has regularly hired and fired lawyers as he has dealt with innumerable legal battles, with some of them complaining about his reluctance to abide by legal advice or pay his hefty bills.