Willis: Pausing Trump's Georgia trial for 2024 election is a "silly notion"

Driving the news: "If the prosecutor finds that they violated the law, they have an ethical duty to bring forth charges and so this is a silly notion to me that because one runs from office that your criminal case would stop," Willis said in her interview with AP this week.

The big picture: Willis has requested a trial date of Aug. 5, 2024, in the sprawling case against Trump, who is one of 19 defendants charged.

• He has pleaded not guilty, along with 14 others — including former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Four others have pleaded guilty, and Willis indicated to AP that others may follow suit.

Zoom out: The Georgia indictment is one of four that Trump faces, and AP noted that it has a "significant overlap" with the Justice Department's investigation.

• Although she wouldn't be drawn on whether she'd been in touch with special counsel Jack Smith who's prosecuting the federal case, Willis said: "A woman in Georgia is able to get evidence, look at the evidence and make charging decisions, and we can actually do it all here in the state of Georgia."
• Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

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