Former President Donald Trump has replaced his top Georgia lawyer ahead of his surrender Thursday evening, sources tell CNN.
Drew Findling, the lawyer who has led Trump's defense in Georgia, is being replaced by Steven Sadow, an Atlanta-based attorney whose website profile describes him as a "special counsel for white collar and high-profile defense."
A Trump source indicated that this was not about Findling's performance, while another familiar with Sadow called him the "best criminal defense attorney in Georgia." Trump's other Georgia attorney, Jennifer Little, is expected to stay on the legal team and work with Sadow.
"I have been retained to represent President Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia case. The president should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him," Sadow said in a statement. "We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open minded jury finding the president not guilty. Prosecutions intended to advance or serve the ambitions and careers of political opponents of the president have no place in our justice system."
In 2021, Sadow criticized RICO charges as a way for prosecutors to introduce evidence that would otherwise not be admissible during an interview about the potential charges Trump faced in Georgia.
Trump will surrender on Thursday to be booked on more than a dozen charges stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia's 2020 election results, the fourth time this year the former president has faced criminal charges.
Trump's processing through the facility will likely be completed quickly because the former president and his lawyers negotiated his consent bond agreement ahead of Thursday. Trump agreed to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions, including not using social media to target the co-defendants and witnesses in the case.
Trump has not been hesitant in other cases in shaking up his legal team. In June, he removed two of the top attorneys representing him in the federal indictment into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
This story has been updated with additional details.
