George didn't have much to say after leaving the courtroom on Tuesday. He was silent, but his lawyers weren't.
For a couple of hours, they argued the criminal case against George shouldn't involve District Attorney Brian Middleton or his office. Some of their concerns include an app they said the DA used to talk to people about George.
"I've never seen, or I'm not aware of, a district attorney using an encrypted app," attorney Jared Woodfill explained. "In this case, that encrypted app, Signal, was used to discuss matters relevant to this case."
"It's a red herring," Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Wesley Wittig said. "There's nothing unethical or unlawful about using any messaging app. The only way that would be a problem is if you were communicating evidence."
A judge agreed with the DA and decided to keep Middleton and the office on the case.
In weeks, George has a trial surrounding social media posts that the DA's office said George's former chief of staff, Taral Patel, created using fake racist messages. Earlier this year, Patel pleaded guilty.
George also faces charges that he allegedly took campaign money to pay for property taxes. George's misdemeanor trial surrounding the social media posts starts next month.
The felony trial involving campaign funds starts in two months. The trials are set to happen right before early voting begins, with George on the ballot as he runs for re-election. These are cases his attorneys wish were held somewhere else.
"You've got a political vendetta because you want to take this man down at the ballot box and ultimately take down his freedom," Woodfill said. "That's wrong. If it can happen to Judge George, it can happen to anyone."
The DA's office disagrees and said George will be walking back into the courtroom in the coming weeks to face trial.
"Fort Bend's trash is handled here," Wittig said. "We don't pass it to someone else."
It wasn't just the DA's office being questioned in court on Tuesday. The judge also considered removing George's attorney after it was revealed that a former law firm employee is being investigated for theft involving George's funds.
During the hearing, George took to the stand and told the judge he wants Woodfill to remain his attorney.
"He dropped something off to a receptionist," Woodfill explained. "It was a sealed envelope. This receptionist allegedly took the numbers and paid for her rent. That receptionist is no longer with us and was with us for a very short time."
The DA's office said they wanted the issue on the record. "Mr. George cannot come back later and say, 'Hey, I should've had a new lawyer because of these things," Wittig explained.
George's first trial is set to start on Jan. 6, 2026.
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