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
#1792   Anibal
      
Here is my site ... high stakes Sweeps
20 September 2025 04:20
#1791   Albertina
      
Look into my homepage: PokerTube
20 September 2025 02:31
#1790   Vania
      
Here is my website: Online poker Tournaments
20 September 2025 01:51
#1789   Alanna
      
20 September 2025 01:13
#1788   Alexis
      
Also visit my page ... Watch Free Poker Videos
19 September 2025 22:30
#1787   Mickey
      
19 September 2025 20:21
#1786   Mahalia
      
Also visit my blog post ... highstakes sweeps
19 September 2025 19:46
#1785   Karma
      
Everything is very open with a very clear description of the challenges.
It was truly informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Many thanks
for sharing!

Feel free to surf to my website: Online
Poker
19 September 2025 19:37
#1784   Gerardo
      
19 September 2025 18:22
#1783   Georgiana
      
Here is my homepage ... High stakes Casino download
19 September 2025 18:16
#1782   Serena
      
my webpage :: Highstake Sweeps
19 September 2025 13:50
#1781   Joyce
      
my web-site: Free
Poker
19 September 2025 13:01
#1780   Hans
      
Feel free to visit my blog post :: Play
Poker Online
19 September 2025 12:37
#1779   Drusilla
      
My page - Shirley
19 September 2025 10:59
#1778   Dina
      
Also visit my web site ... free Poker
19 September 2025 10:53
#1777   Damion
      
19 September 2025 08:54
#1776   Alycia
      
my web page :: Poker online
19 September 2025 03:18
#1775   Bennett
      
This is very attention-grabbing, You are a
very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and stay up for looking for more of your great post.
Additionally, I've shared your website in my social networks

Also visit my web blog ... Online Poker Tournaments - Alanna,
18 September 2025 23:14
#1774   Spencer
      
Visit my web-site - high stakes Casino
Download
18 September 2025 23:06
#1773   Roberta
      
Also visit my blog post - play poker
Online
18 September 2025 22:20
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 ... 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 ... 160Next