POLITICS
Donald Trump indictment in Georgia: What are the charges against the former President?
Trump and his associates have been indicted on state racketeering and conspiracy charges for actions taken during the 2020 election.
Donald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators are facing a total of 41 criminal counts for attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
Released late on Monday night, Georgia state prosecutor Fani Willis listed 41 charges against the 19 defendants in the near-100 page indictment. Trump allies charged in the Georgia indictment include: Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis.
“Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was Georgia,” the indictment says.
Warrants have been issued for their arrest, Willis said.
Trump remains the first US president to face criminal charges with this the fourth criminal case in as many months.
The charges against Donald Trump in more detail
In total, Donald Trump has 13 counts against him. These include:
- Violation of the Georgia RICO Act
- Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer (thrice)
- Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer
- Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (twice)
- Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (twice)
- Conspiracy to commit filing false documents
- Filing false documents
- False statements and writings (twice)
Among the most serious of these counts is the RICO, which stands for “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations”. The RICO statute is intended to prosecute criminal organisations that engage in a pattern of racketeering. This includes crime such as fraud, money laundering, bribery, and extortion. In effect, the Trump brand is branded a “criminal enterprise.”
A conviction could mean 20 years in prison on this charge alone.
A statement from congressional Democrats said, “The actions taken by the Fulton County District Attorney, along with other state and federal prosecutors, reaffirms the shared belief that in America no one, not even the president, is above the law.”
Trump and Republicans railed against the actions, predictably.
“So, the Witch Hunt continues!” Trump said in a Truth Social post this morning.