Judge issues protective order after video leaked in Georgia election interference case

ATLANTA — Defense attorneys may have to go to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to view evidence in the Georgia election interference case after a judge issued a new protective order in the case Thursday.

Channel 2 Action News has also learned that the Georgia Republican Party is not trying to raise money off the upcoming trial.

The Georgia GOP is now running ads calling all this a “show trial” even as the judge in the case is trying to protect the jury pool from seeing too much evidence before trial.

The ads, mostly on Conservative news outlets, are trying to raise money by attacking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her prosecution of former President Donald Trump and others.

“The rule of law is under attack,” the ad said. “Now they’re targeting Georgia Republican electors, prosecuting them for supporting our president.”

RELATED STORIES:

• Attorney for co-defendant in Trump election indictment admits to leaking testimony videos
• Jenna Ellis, former Trump attorney, reaches plea deal in Georgia election interference case
• Secretary of State’s Office says despite plea, Sidney Powell did immeasurable damage to elections
• Fulton DA expects election interference trial involving Trump to be underway past Election Day

The commercial fails to mention that three former ranking members of the Georgia GOP, David Shafer, Shawn Still and Cathy Latham, were so-called false electors and are charged with conspiracy and racketeering in this case.

Willis’ office had no comment on the ads.

It comes a day after defense attorney Jonathan Miller admitted at a Zoom hearing that he’s the one who released the confidential videos of Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and others talking to prosecutors as part of their plea deal.

“Judge, I did release those videos to one outlet,” Miller told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday.

The move made McAfee issue a rare protective order on Thursday, limiting defense access and release of any evidence.

“The court finds the entry of a protective order concerning pretrial discovery necessary and justified by the particular circumstances of this case,” McAfee’s order said.

He also set a date for defendant Harrison Floyd’s bond revocation hearing after Willis worried his recent social media posts were done to intimidate witnesses.

Floyd must attend the hearing in person.

“His presence at a bond hearing, that’s typical. That’s exactly what you want to have happen, because, obviously, if you revoke somebody’s bond, and they’re not present, then at that point, they’re going to run,” former prosecutor Chris Timmons told Elliot.

Floyd maintains he did nothing wrong. That hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday.

RELATED NEWS:

Fulton DA files motion to stop election indictment defendants’ proffer videos from being leaked This comes a day after ABC News obtained proffer videos of two former defendants, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis.

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