Endgame in Georgia
Security measures have been ramped up around the Atlanta courthouse in Fulton County, Georgia, and a yearslong investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in that state is complete, according to District Attorney Fani Willis.
"We've been working for two and half years. We're ready to go," Willis told CNN affiliate WXIA.
Whether that means Trump will ultimately face charges in Georgia is unclear, although Willis has said she would make a decision by the end of August.
On Monday, the judge who has overseen Willis' investigation, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, dismissed Trump's latest effort to circumvent the Georgia case, making clear the former president will have to wait until he is actually indicted there to fight potential charges.
'Rumpelstiltskin'
He also alluded in a footnote to how Trump has fanned fury at his legal problems for his own political purposes.
"And for some, being the subject of a criminal investigation can, à la Rumpelstiltskin, be turned into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic," McBurney wrote, drawing a parallel between the former president and the villain of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale who turns straw into gold.
Trump is also trying to have McBurney bounced from the case. A hearing before another judge is scheduled for August 10.
Read CNN's full report on the Fulton County probe by Sara Murray and Jason Morris.
Trump's political fortunes stay bright
CNN's Harry Enten has two very important points in his analysis.
Trump is in a very strong position to win the GOP primary.
Enten: No one in Trump's current polling position in the modern era has lost an open presidential primary that didn't feature an incumbent. He's pulling in more than 50% of support in the national primary polls, i.e., more than all his competitors combined.
Proving Enten's point, in a new New York Times/Siena College poll, Trump has the support of more than half, 54%, of the Republican primary electorate. He roughly triples the support for his nearest competitor, the flagging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is under 20%.
Trump would be competitive in November 2024 against Biden.
Enten: What should arguably be more amazing is that despite most Americans agreeing that Trump's two indictments thus far were warranted, he remains competitive in a potential rematch with President Joe Biden. A poll out last week from Marquette University Law School had Biden and Trump tied percentage-wise (with a statistically insignificant few more respondents choosing Trump).
Enten notes that general election polling so far from the election should not be viewed as predictive, which could give Democrats some solace. But the fact is that both men have poor favorability ratings. And Trump is neck and neck with Biden in some key states like Pennsylvania.
And note: The primary will mostly be completed by the end of March, when the first of the currently scheduled criminal trials is set to get underway.
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