Lisa Rubin

I'd like to have a conference.

Let's get this train moving again.

But if he doesn't, he may also make some sort of official announcement as to why he is wrapping the case up.

Either way, I expect in the next several weeks, we'll hear from Mr. Skandakalis about what his plans are on it.

How far along was the case?

The case was reasonably far along.

Discovery had concluded.

There were many pretrial motions that were decided.

In fact, one of those pretrial motions dealt with some of the charges around the RICO charge.

The main charge here was a state racketeering conspiracy.

But there were other charges that had to do with Georgia election law and sort of more straightforward interfering with the process of certifying electors, for example.

Two defendants in particular got some of those charges dismissed, John Eastman, the Trump attorney, and Sean Still, a Georgian.

They succeeded in getting those dismissed, saying this is an inherently federal proceeding.

The state of Georgia had no business bringing state election charges against us for the process of certifying electors.

Perhaps we could see that argument sort of being revivified if Mr. Scandaculis goes forward, because that is the basis on which the administration has justified its pardons of folks all across these fake-door-elector schemes from Georgia to Michigan to Wisconsin to Nevada.

If it stays a state case, the president cannot do anything about it other than to advance the arguments that he has on the basis for which he made these pardons.

You and I both know that constitutionally, the president has no power to pardon anyone for a state crime.

But again, his position here is that

These pardons are justifiable because these aren't, in fact, state crimes.

They are federal crimes for which these folks were never charged and the state had no right to bring them.