Trump and 18 others charged in Georgia election inquiry
15-08-2023, 13:06

Font size: [ A+ ] / [ A- ]

Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state of Georgia.

It is the fourth criminal case brought against him in as many months.

Mr Trump, who is the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024, was indicted along with 18 other allies.

He denies all 13 charges against him, which include racketeering and election meddling. He has said they are politically motivated.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis first launched an investigation in February 2021 into allegations of election meddling against Mr Trump and his associates.

In a 98-page indictment made public late on Monday, prosecutors listed 41 charges against the 19 defendants.

Ms Willis announced she was giving defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday 25 August. She said she plans to try all 19 accused together.

The list of alleged co-conspirators includes former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former White House lawyer John Eastman.

Others include a former justice department official, Jeffrey Clark, and Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis - two Trump lawyers who amplified unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.

The indictment says the defendants "knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour of Trump".

The former president is accused of the following felony counts, including:

  • Violating Georgia's racketeering act
  • Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer
  • Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer
  • Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree
  • False statements and writings and filing false documents

The indictment refers to the defendants as a "criminal organization", accusing them of other crimes including influencing witnesses, computer trespass, theft and perjury.

The most serious charge, violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico) Act, is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. 

The act - designed to help take down organised criminal syndicates like the mafia - helps prosecutors connect the dots between underlings who broke laws and those who gave them orders. 

Mr Trump, currently the frontrunner in the Republican Party's race to pick its next candidate for the White House, said the investigation by Ms Willis, a Democrat, was politically motivated.

 

 

More coverage

line

In a statement, the Trump campaign described the district attorney as a "rabid partisan" who had filed "these bogus indictments" to interfere with the 2024 presidential race and "damage the dominant Trump campaign".

"This latest co-ordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes the true motivation driving their fabricated accusations," said the statement.

He is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.

There was confusion earlier on Monday when a list of a criminal charges against Mr Trump appeared on a Fulton County website before the grand jury had voted to return an indictment.

The filing said Mr Trump had been charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit fraud and making false statements.

A spokesperson for Ms Willis said the document was "fictitious" but did not explain how it ended up on the court's website.

Mr Trump and his allies seized on the apparent clerical error to claim the process was rigged.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump was charged by federal prosecutors in Washington DC with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

That charge sheet devoted significant time to the Trump team's activities in Georgia. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty in that case.

Ms Willis' investigation focuses specifically on Georgia, a key battleground state for the US presidency that Mr Trump narrowly lost.

In January 2021, Mr Trump was recorded on a phone call asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes - the number he would have required to beat Mr Biden in that state.

The indictment outlines an alleged scheme to tamper with voting machines in one Georgia county and steal data.

It also mentions an alleged scheme to submit false lists of electors, officials who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice-president.

Mr Trump also faces a New York state trial on 25 March next year involving a hush money payment to a porn star. And he is due to go on trial in Florida on 20 May on allegations related to his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his presidency.

In both cases Mr Trump also pleaded not guilty.

 

BBC

Comments: 3192
#1192   Eloy
      
Also visit my site - Poker online

This is the right website for anybody who wishes to understand this topic.
You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that
I personally would want to?HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject which has been written about for decades.
Great stuff, just excellent!

Also visit my webpage - everygame
poker review
26 July 2025 21:29
#1191   Carl
      
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great.
I don't know who you are but certainly you are going
to a famous blogger if you are not already ;) Cheers!

my site ... Highstakes 777 online
26 July 2025 05:11
#1190   Melody
      
Stop by my webpage: high stack poker
25 July 2025 21:01
#1189   Rose
      
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem along with your website in web explorer, would test this?

IE still is the market leader and a large portion of folks will omit your fantastic writing because of this problem.



my web site ... Kkpoker payday
25 July 2025 19:36
#1188   Analisa
      
my web-site ... Www.Economia.Unical.It
25 July 2025 14:16
#1187   Blythe
      
My page ... Everette
25 July 2025 13:15
#1186   Sylvia
      
Also visit my web site; poker
online free
25 July 2025 12:26
#1185   Gregory
      
25 July 2025 09:39
#1184   Mayra
      
Take a look at my site; PokerTube
25 July 2025 08:29
#1183   Delilah
      
Review my site Rosemarie
25 July 2025 03:57
#1182   Bess
      
24 July 2025 22:09
#1181   Tabatha
      
My web-site ... Play Poker Online
24 July 2025 17:36
#1180   Anh
      
Here is my homepage best online Poker real money
24 July 2025 14:41
#1179   Abigail
      
Also visit my web blog - Rickie
24 July 2025 06:02
#1178   Patrick
      
Stop by my site :: Highstakes Games
24 July 2025 03:43
#1177   Sidney
      
Also visit my webpage high
stakes poker site
23 July 2025 22:49
#1176   Nathan
      
Also visit my web blog :: highstakes 777
23 July 2025 11:55
#1175   Tamera
      
23 July 2025 03:21
#1174   Hai
      
Also visit my blog ... watch Free poker videos & tv shows
22 July 2025 17:51
#1173   Harley
      
Review my page - Meri
22 July 2025 12:42
Add Comments

Name:*
E-Mail:
  Geo Keyboard  
 

Dear reader, guardian.ge welcomes your comments. Please express your views on topic and be respectful of others.

bold italic underline strike | align left centered align right | Ensert smilies insert linkInsert protected URL Choice the color | hidden text insert quote Convert selected text from transliteration to Cyrillic alphabet Insert spoiler

Code: *


Back1 ... 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 ... 160Next