Donald Trump Denied Access to Evidence as Judge Says Items 'Do Not Exist'

A Georgia judge has rejected a bid by the legal teams of Donald Trump and a co-defendant to compel the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting him over alleged 2020 election interference in the state, to hand over certain documentation on the basis that "the items demanded do not exist."

The ruling was issued on Wednesday by Judge Scott McAfee at the Fulton County Superior Court. Trump was indicted on 13 counts in Georgia related to allegations he acted illegally while attempting to block Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory in the state. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner insists are politically motivated.

Trump and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, one of his 18 co-defendants in the case, had been demanding details of correspondence between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Representative Bennie Thompson. Between July 2021 and January 2023, Thompson chaired the House committee investigating the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021, by hundreds of Trump supporters.

In his response to Trump and Clark's motion, McAfee wrote: "The Court finds it is unable to grand the Defendant's requested relief as the items demanded do not exist, and that the State has adequately addressed the other concerns raised by defense counsel. The motion is therefore moot."

Newsweek has reached out to a legal representative of Donald Trump for comment along with spokespersons for his 2024 presidential election campaign.

In his initial filing, which was submitted on January 8, Trump's team noted a December 17, 2021, letter from Willis to then January 6 committee chair Thompson, and said it had demanded to see whether a reply was sent.

However, it said: "The DA's office has steadfastly refused to answer yes or no to whether former Chairman Thompson or the Select Committee ever sent a response to DA Willis' letter. Accordingly, President Trump requests this Court compel the DA's office to respond yes or no to his request, and if yes, to disclose all responses."

In October 2023 Jenna Ellis, a former Trump lawyer and one of his co-defendants in the Georgia case, pleaded guilty to charges of aiding and abetting false statements and writings as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Under these terms she agreed to receive a five-year sentence of probation, perform 100 hours of community service, pay a $5,000 fine and write an open letter of apology.

Three of Trump's other co-defendants, attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell along with bail bondsman Scott Hall, also pleaded guilty as part of plea agreements.

Michael Roman, one of Trump's former staffers and another co-defendant, filed a lawsuit calling for the case against him to be dismissed earlier this month. He claimed District Attorney Willis had been "engaged in a personal, romantic relationship" with Nathan Wade, who was appointed to the case as a special prosecutor, and that some of the $650,000 paid to Wade was spent on vacations for the pair. Newsweek has been unable to verify these claims and reached out to the Fulton County District Attorney's office via email for comment.