Topline A Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump in connection with his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state Monday, according to multiple reports, marking his fourth indictment since announcing his latest campaign for president.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the … [+] Hilton Anatole on August 6, 2022 in Dallas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Getty Images Key Facts District Attorney Fani Willis’ office was widely expected to bring charges against Trump after a grand jury was convened in July and Willis said in April she would announce a charging decision in the case by September. 1.
Key Background Willis’ office convened a special grand jury in January 2022 to weigh evidence surrounding Trump’s conduct in the wake of the 2020 presidential election and in the lead-up to the January 6 Capitol riots following allegations that he pressured elected officials in the state, and several others won by President Joe Biden, to distort the results. Trump, in a now-infamous January 2021 phone call with Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), asked him to “find” 11,780 votes he needed to win the state, citing unfounded allegations of fraud, including that 10,000 dead people had voted, that election workers counted suitcases full of illegal ballots and that the voting machine company, Dominion, was the source of widespread fraud. Trump is also accused of attempting to recruit fake electors in Georgia to cast their votes for him instead of Biden during the process to certify Electoral College results. Willis’s office has also obtained text messages from Trump affiliates, including former attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, indicating they orchestrated a breach of voting equipment in Coffee County in 2021 designed to manufacture evidence of voter fraud, CNN reported Sunday. The special grand jury in February recommended charges, including perjury, against multiple individuals after interviewing more than 75 witnesses in the case, including Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Further Reading Fulton County Posts, Then Deletes Document Listing Charges Against Trump (Forbes)
Trump Vows He’ll Never Take A Plea Deal As Georgia Grand Jury Expected To Hear Latest Case (Forbes)
Georgia Prosecutors Have Texts Linking Trump Allies To Voting System Breach, Report Says—As Possible Charges Loom (Forbes)