Georgia Judge Refuses to Revoke Trump Co-Defendant's Bond

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Facts

  • Fulton County, Georgia Superior Judge Scott McAfee on Tuesday rejected Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' request to reject the bond of Harrison Floyd over social media posts he made about witnesses in his case.1
  • Floyd, the former director of Black Voices for Trump, was indicted in August by a grand jury that alleged he, former Pres. Donald Trump and 17 other co-defendants illegally conspired to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 victory in Georgia and other states in the presidential election.2
  • Willis last week filed a motion accusing Floyd of a “pattern of intimidation” toward co-defendants and witnesses — including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and co-defendant Jenna Ellis — through comments made on podcasts and social media.3
  • Floyd's defense team claimed in its response that he didn’t violate the conditions of his bond, writing that he was exercising his “First Amendment rights” and didn’t threaten or intimidate anyone.4
  • Although he didn't revoke Floyd’s bond, McAfee said Floyd had probably violated some parts of the order, so the order should be amended to deal with the 'nuances' of social media and to clarify what behaviors would lead to Floyd’s bond being revoked.5
  • This decision comes while judges are dealing with the issues of witness intimidation and criticism of co-defendants and court workers in this and other cases surrounding Trump, who is under gag orders in Washington, D.C., and New York.5

Sources: 1USA Today, 2Georgia Recorder, 3Courthouse News Service, 4UPI and 5The Guardian.

Narratives

  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Washington Times. This hearing was an attempt to shut down Floyd's free speech while allowing Fani Willis to raise her national profile among Democrats by playing her part in the witch hunt against Trump and his current presidential campaign. Now that specific guidelines are in place, Floyd can adhere to them with full transparency.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by AlterNet. This is a serious matter because witness intimidation and public criticism of co-defendants and court officers — via social media or otherwise — can soil the justice system, which should treat everyone equally. Unfortunately, Trump's co-defendants are acting like him, and until everyone faces consequences for their attempts to tarnish the system, this concerning behavior will continue.

Predictions