Georgia court claims premature indictment posting was actually 'trial run'

The Fulton County, Georgia Clerk's Office office on Tuesday issued a statement claiming that the court's premature posting of what appeared to be an indictment against the former president on Monday was the result of a "trial run."

"The Office of the Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts announces that midday on August 14, 2023, a media outlet utilizing the Fulton County Press que obtained a docket sheet and shared it with other media outlets who then released the sample working document related to the former United States President, Donald Trump - reporting that an indictment had been returned by the Special Grand Jury in Fulton County Georgia," read the statement, according to Fox News.

"Upon learning of the mishap, Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts, Ché Alexander, immediately removed the document and issued correspondence notifying the media that a fictitious document was in circulation and that no indictment had been returned by the Grand Jury," it continued. "In anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment, Alexander used charges that pre-exist in Odyssey to test the system and conduct a trial run. In anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment, Alexander used charges that pre-exist in Odyssey to test the system and conduct a trial run."

Following the erroneous publication, the court called the document "fictitious" and warned that those apparent charges "are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such."

The grand jury ultimately returned an identical slate of charges against Trump.

On Monday night, Willis declined to address the matter, saying "I can't tell you anything."

"What I can tell you is that we had a grand jury here in Fulton County," she continued. "They deliberated to almost eight o'clock, if not right at eight o'clock. At three o'clock a sealed indictment was returned. I am not an expert on clerk duties or even administrators duties... So I'm not going to speculate."

Trump's attorneys, however, have fumed over the apparent mishap, insisting that it "was not a simple administrative mistake."

"This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception," they said.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.