Several senior allies of former President Donald Trump — including Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn — could potentially be called as witnesses in Georgia’s first election interference trial next month, according to a court filing.
McDaniel and Epshteyn were among 52 names added to a list of potential witnesses and evidence on Thursday by lawyers for defendant Kenneth Chesebro, whose trial is set to begin on October 23 alongside Sidney Powell.
“Defendant Kenneth Chesebro respectfully provides the following evidence and witnesses at trial on 10/13/23,” states the filing from attorneys Scott Grubman and Manubir Arora.
Even if it is not certain that all names will be called as witnesses, the file gives an indication of the possible scope of the trial.
Other potential witnesses on the list include Trump’s former deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin, former Trump campaign lawyer Justin Clark and former Trump campaign adviser Matt Morgan.
Also on the list is former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, a longtime adviser to Trump and Rudy Giuliani.
Also on the list are a number of so-called “alternative voters” who were not charged in the indictment of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wills.
Trump and 18 others have pleaded not guilty to all charges in prosecutors’ sweeping indictment over alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. The former president says his actions were not illegal and that the investigation was politically motivated.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set an Oct. 23 trial date for Chesebro and Powell earlier this month after both made requests for a speedy trial. A trial date for the other 17 defendants, including Trump, has yet to be set given the ongoing litigation.
