Trump files motion to recover $6.2 million in attorney fees in dismissed Georgia election interference case

President Trump has filed a motion in Fulton County seeking more than $6.2 million from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to cover his attorney fees and litigation costs in the recently dismissed criminal election interference case.

A new Georgia law allows defendants to request reimbursement for their legal bills if a prosecutor is disqualified and the case is dismissed, a change that many people who spoke with CBS Atlanta report was written specifically for this purpose.

Under the law, each defendant has 45 days from the date of dismissal to file a claim seeking reimbursement for “reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.” Judge Scott McAfee decides.

Mr. Trump’s camp and Georgia Republicans have repeatedly described the case as “politically motivated.”

In August 2023, Willis announced the indictment against Mr. Trump and 18 others using Georgia’s anti-racketeering law to accuse them of participating in a scheme to overturn Mr. Trump’s narrow 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the state.

Willis was removed from the case after one of the defense attorneys in the case revealed a relationship between her and Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor hired to lead the case.Willis and Wade admitted they were romantically involved but denied any wrongdoing. They testified that the relationship began after Wade was hired, and that it had ended in the summer of 2024.

While a judge in the case found that there was no conflict of interest, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled she could not prosecute Mr. Trump and others, citing an “appearance of impropriety.”

In November, Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia Executive Director Peter J. Skandalakis stepped in to replace Willis as the lead prosecutor. 

In the days afterward, he filed a motion informing the court of his decision to abandon the prosecution, arguing that the acts listed in the indictment “are not acts I would consider sufficient” to sustain a racketeering case. A Fulton County Superior Court judge dismissed the case on Nov. 26.

Trump’s legal spending in Georgia: More than $5.5 million

Public filings reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution show Trump’s PACs spent upward of $5.5 million on Georgia-based attorneys since 2021. That includes:

• More than $1.5 million paid to lead attorney Steve Sadow since August 2023
• Nearly $1.5 million to his former lawyer Drew Findling
• More than $2.2 million to attorney Jennifer Little between March 2021 and August 2024
• $326,000 combined for three additional Georgia attorneys

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.