CNN Legal Analyst Warns Georgia DA Can Step On Legal Landmines If Trump Is Charged

CNN legal analyst Elie Honig warned Monday night that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could step on a legal landmine if former President Donald Trump is charged.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to issue more than a dozen indictments in Georgia before a grand jury regarding Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Willis is reportedly seeking conspiracy and racketeering charges, according to CNN. Willis is reportedly focusing on alleged pressure on election officials, the attempt to put forward alternate electors to vote for Trump and a voting system breach in Coffee County, CNN noted.

The Grand Jury met Monday, with an announcement expected to follow soon.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Honig whether the federal case “would take precedent” if Trump is indicted in Georgia. (RELATED: REPORT: Georgia Court Briefly Posts Potential Trump Charges, Removes Them With No Explanation)

“I would think it would have to as a practical matter, this happens, I’ve been on both sides of this equation, I was a federal and a state prosecutor. What normally would happen is you’d get on the phone with your counterpart and you would say, ‘Okay, looks like we’re on the same turf here. Who’s going to go first? Are we going to work together? Are we going to share resources?’ By all reporting, by the D.A.’s claim, she has not done that yet. She said, ‘I wouldn’t know Jack Smith if I saw him.’ But there’s a potential peril there if they don’t coordinate,” Honig said.

“They could be stepping on each other’s toes. They could be looking at the same witnesses — it could be that somebody who Fani Willis indicts could be cooperating secretly with Jack Smith’s team which would cause a big problem. So if I was giving advice to these prosecutors I would say there’s nothing wrong with coordinating. It’s done normally and it’s good practice and will help them avoid running into each other.”