Attorneys of four-time indicted Donald Trump said Thursday that no attempts would be made to shift the Georgia election interference and criminal racketeering case of 2020 to the federal court, the state which the billionaire lost in the previous presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
Donald Trump is being investigated by a Georgia grand jury for his alleged role in overturning 2020 election results in the state.
The probe by a 26-member jury commenced when a phone conversation between Donald Trump and Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on 2 January 2021 was leaked in which the former president asked the official to "find 11,870 votes".
According to the indictment, Trump along with 18 others was "illegally conspiring and attempting to conduct and participate in a criminal enterprise" after his loss in Georgia, CNNreported
The accusations include making false statements and soliciting state legislatures, and high-ranking state officials, fabricating and disseminating false electoral college documents, intimidating poll workers, soliciting Justice Department officials, soliciting Mike Pence when he was vice president, illegally tampering with election machinery, and obstructionist acts.
Along with the people charged, the indictment also named 30 other unindicted co-conspirators.
The 77-year-old denied all the charges calling the cases a political witch-hunt.
Trump was criminally charged in a number of cases ranging from paying hush money to election subversion.
Trump is also facing other indictments in cases that include provoking people on his false claims of rigged elections leading to the January 6 2021 riots, and retaining classified documents after leaving the Oval Office.
It is a significant step in Trump's legal battle as he was likely to be among his co-defendants in seeking to take to federal court, in the hope of finding a sympathetic jury than in Fulton County, where Democrats are in a strong position.
The jury is to trial all 19 defendants on 23 October, however, the judge was doubtful about the timeline.
Initially, the billionaire pointed to follow the course taken by his chief of staff Mark Meadows, who moved his case to federal court.
Earlier Thursday an appeal filed by Trump was also rejected seeking a delay in a trial of a fraud case in which he was found liable at the start of this week.
As the appeal stood rejected, Judge Arthur Engoron will now preside over a non-jury trial commencing Monday 2 October in Manhattan brought by the New York attorney general, Letitia James.