{"id":2284409,"date":"2024-06-27T06:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T10:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/matter-of-debate-trump-returns-to-fulton-county-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-27T06:59:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T10:59:24","slug":"matter-of-debate-trump-returns-to-fulton-county-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/matter-of-debate-trump-returns-to-fulton-county-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Matter of Debate: Trump returns to Fulton County &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmatter-of-debate-trump-returns-to-fulton-county-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2284409&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>One month\u2062 after being found guilty in a New York\u200d hush \u2063money trial, \u200dformer\u200d President Donald Trump returned to Fulton \u200cCounty\u2014not to\u2063 face \u200belection\u200c interference charges, but to debate President Joe \u2063Biden. Despite the overhang of Fulton County District Attorney Fani\u2062 Willis&#8217;s racketeering charges for allegedly\u2063 conspiring to overturn Georgia\u2019s 2020 election results, Trump&#8217;s appearance was\u2063 largely framed around the debate,\u200c broadcast live from CNN\u2019s studios in Atlanta. While some\u200c Republicans, such as Fulton County GOP Chairwoman Stephanie Endres, \u2064viewed Trump&#8217;s visit \u2064as a strong political move, others like Georgia state Sen. Greg Dolezal downplayed\u2064 the connection to the charges, dismissing them as &#8220;bogus.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Biden\u2062 campaign sought to highlight Trump&#8217;s controversial actions, including \u200dhis involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot and\u2063 other legal troubles, to contrast Biden\u2019s character and policies favorably against Trump&#8217;s. Local Democrats and Republicans \u200cexpressed varied perspectives, with some echoing Trump\u2019s criticisms of the charges as politically\u200c motivated, and others, including former Republicans, \u2063openly supporting Biden.<\/p>\n<p>The situation is nuanced \u200cwith local electoral\u2063 dynamics and national controversies contributing to the deeply polarized \u200cenvironment,\u2062 as both campaigns\u200d vie for support\u200d in \u200cpivotal states like Georgia. The \u200congoing \u2062legal battles \u200band their implications on Trump\u2019s public perception and \u2063political \u200cfuture continue to stir debate and division across \u2064the political spectrum.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>ATLANTA \u2014<\/strong> One month after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>New York<\/a> jury found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> guilty in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trumps-criminal-hush-money-trial-set-for-march-25\/\" title=\"Trump's hush money trial scheduled for March 25\">hush money trial<\/a>, the former president is returning to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fulton-county\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Fulton County<\/a>, not to face his election interference charges in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Georgia<\/a> but to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/debates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>debate<\/a> President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>But with Fulton County District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Fani Willis<\/a>\u2018s racketeering charges hanging over Trump\u2019s head, this make-or-break debate as he seeks reelection will be broadcast from CNN\u2019s studios, blocks away from the Fulton County Courthouse, where the trial over allegations he and 18 other co-defendants conspired to overturn the\u00a0results of Georgia\u2019s 2020 presidential election is taking place.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was charged alongside his co-defendants in August 2023 but hasn\u2019t had to appear in court for the case since. But for one-time Georgia Republican state Lt. Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/geoff-duncan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Geoff Duncan<\/a>, speaking with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, \u201cIt feels like he\u2019s never left.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, other Republicans, such as Fulton County GOP Chairwoman Stephanie Endres, are not connecting Trump\u2019s return to the county to his charges, instead focusing on the debate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know that we\u2019re really viewing it that way, but you might as well come back, and stand tall and strong, look down those who are using the legal system to impact your ability to be successful in a political campaign,\u201d Endres told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Georgia state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican who represents parts of Fulton County, similarly downplayed Trump\u2019s return and Willis\u2019s charges against him, saying they were \u201cbogus\u201d and already \u201cbaked into the news\u201d as the trials are paused pending appeals over accusations of a conflict of interest because of her personal relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think that the conviction or the court cases are the backdrop of his return to Georgia,\u201d Dolezal told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> of the New York and Georgia state charges. \u201cEverybody wants to see how these two guys are going to do in the debates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But after Trump raised $141 million last month following his New York hush money trial conviction, other Republicans, including Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who also represents part of Fulton County, but in the House of Representatives, contend the former president\u2019s charges, even the federal ones brought by special counsel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jack Smith<\/a>, have helped him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow voters are leaning toward Trump,\u201d Loudermilk told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on the sidelines of the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington, D.C. \u201cA lot are saying, \u2018Look, this has all been a witch hunt, it\u2019s gone overboard now. It\u2019s one thing to prosecute him in the press, but now they\u2019re taking legal action.\u2019 People are saying if they can do this to a former president, they can surely do it to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former educator Gloria Barker, whom the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> met in Georgia this week at the opening of the Trump campaign\u2019s DeKalb and Fulton counties office, is one such Republican who does not consider the 2020 election nor Willis\u2019 charges against the former president to have been \u201cfair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe indictments and all these charges against him, I think it\u2019s a setup,\u201d Barker said. \u201cI think it\u2019s very unfair to Trump and our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the same event, black Democrat-turned-Republican Janet Prioleau told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> there is \u201ca major shift in black America towards Trump, with him being dragged up into the Fulton County Jail for mug shots and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the mug shots to the actual courtroom, it resonates with a lot of black Americans as far as fairness is concerned,\u201d Prioleau, another educator, said. \u201cA lot of people can relate to that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the Biden campaign is hoping to capitalize on divisions within the Republican Party over Trump, particularly in states like Georgia, where former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-nations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>U.N.<\/a> Ambassador <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nikki-haley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Nikki Haley<\/a> received 78,000 votes in the GOP primary in March. In fact, this week, it announced that former Illinois Republican Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/adam-kinzinger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Adam Kinzinger<\/a> and Duncan have endorsed Biden.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s millions of Republicans that want an excuse to not vote for Donald Trump and I\u2019m hopefully going to be able to give him that excuse,\u201d Duncan said of Trump\u2019s return to Fulton County at the George State Capitol after a Biden event. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to turn in your Republican card just because you vote for Joe Biden. You can still be a Republican. You\u2019re just going to do the right thing as a Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Biden campaign has sought to underscore Trump\u2019s role in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/january-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jan. 6<\/a> Capitol riot and his New York conviction to draw a contrast between the two candidates, from a $50 million ad spend this month alone to other pre-debate events in Georgia with Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jon-ossoff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jon Ossoff<\/a> (D-GA) and Atlanta Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this election, you have a choice between someone of poor moral character, who lacks the integrity and the moral compass to lead the nation, who raised a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol as he sought to cling onto power, and President Biden who succeeded in passing bipartisan infrastructure legislation, who is thinking about and looking for opportunities to help small businesses here in Georgia and across the country every day, and who has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nolte-only-20-say-theyre-better-off-now-than-a-year-ago\/\" title=\"Nolte: Only 20% Say They're Better Off Now Than a Year Ago\">clear moral compass<\/a> and leads with dignity and integrity,\u201d Ossoff told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> at She Salon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want Georgia just to have a real good memory of how we felt four years ago,\u201d Dickens added. \u201cRemember the lies that were told, the deception, the broken promises, that hate, the vitriol. \u2026 He\u2019s been to the Fulton County Jail to get fingerprinted and to get a mugshot, and he still has to stand trial in the city of Atlanta. I want Atlantans to absorb and to remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the Biden black small business event, Demetrice Dixon, a hairstylist, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Trump\u2019s charges were a reminder of his \u201csuperiority\u201d because \u201cwe have times where convicted felons, they can\u2019t return to a place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey should be hard on him like they\u2019re hard on the other convicted felons,\u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\n<p>Georgia state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Democratic criminal defense lawyer who represents parts of Fulton County as well, defended Willis, repeating that her charges would not \u201ccrumble\u201d and, \u201cat worse,\u201d her cases would be reassigned to another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/radical-cultural-change-coming-to-america\/\" title=\"Radical Cultural Change Coming to America?\">district attorney<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI assume it\u2019ll be Fani Willis, but if not, then it\u2019ll be another DA,\u201d Panitch told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cI don\u2019t see a dismissal of the indictments as the remedy any court would grant. It would be that Willis would be replaced. That\u2019s if the court agrees with the defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Panitch did dismiss Wade as \u201can embarrassment,\u201d claiming \u201cany woman watching her ex-boyfriend talk about her and their sex life on TV is cringeworthy.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes that reflect on Willis\u2019s judgment? That\u2019s a question. That\u2019s an open question. But who hasn\u2019t had an ex that they wish that they didn\u2019t? Who hasn\u2019t had an ex that they regretted?\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re all tired of it. We\u2019re tired. We\u2019re tired of [Trump]. If he could have been a rational actor during his presidency, we wouldn\u2019t be here, but he\u2019s not capable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>University of Georgia political science professor\u00a0Charles\u00a0Bullock noted to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Willis won reelection last month by a \u201clandslide,\u201d and argued that Trump\u2019s charges could undermine him in Georgia among white, college-educated Republicans and independents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe conviction is something front and center in the ads that are being run and trying to get voters to recall what they didn\u2019t like about Trump four years ago,\u201d Bullock said of the New York trial. \u201cSo just trying to make this a choice between the two and not an evaluation of the four years of the Biden presidency because, if it\u2019s on that, then Biden loses almost every one of the items, everything, except maybe for abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Emory University political science associate professor Zachary Peskowitz, Georgians have been following Trump\u2019s Willis charges \u201cmore closely\u201d than their counterparts around the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people were curious and interested in what was going to happen, particularly because it\u2019s state crimes that a president can\u2019t pardon himself for,\u201d Peskowitz told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Georgia State University political science professor Jeffrey\u00a0Lazarus additionally emphasized \u201ca lot of anger\u201d among Democrats regarding how the Trump charges have \u201cbeen handled\u201d and Willis\u2019 \u201cmissteps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it mean for the state of Georgia that he\u2019s coming back?\u201d Lazarus asked the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> about Trump. \u201cThe 100% truthful answer? A lot of traffic jams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Amy DeLaura contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ATLANTA \u2014 One month after a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty in his hush money trial, the former president is returning to Fulton County, not to face his election interference charges in Georgia but to debate President Joe Biden. But with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis\u2018s racketeering charges hanging over Trump\u2019s head<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2284410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/trump_june_2024_washingtondc.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32987,32986,5894,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2284409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-fulton-county","tag-matter-of-debate","tag-politics","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/trump_june_2024_washingtondc.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2284409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2284410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2284409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2284409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2284409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}