Georgia prosecutors consider conspiracy and racketeering charges in Trump-related inquiry: Report
Ryan King
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Prosecutors in the Atlanta area are reportedly contemplating conspiracy and racketeering charges in the sprawling inquiry into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
A special grand jury enlisted to assist in the inquiry recommended multiple indictments, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could reach a decision about those recommendations by springtime, CNN reported.
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“The reason that I am a fan of RICO is, I think jurors are very, very intelligent,” Willis said over the summer. “They want to know what happened. They want to make an accurate decision about someone’s life. And so RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutor’s office and law enforcement to tell the whole story.”
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is often used against gang activity and typically features charges against multiple defendants. Once a decision is reached, Willis is expected to bring the charges before one of the regularly seated grand juries, which serve for two months at a time, per the report. Two grand juries were impaneled earlier this month, and another set will be established in May.
Since the beginning of the inquiry, investigators have amassed a trove of emails, text messages, testimony, phone calls, and more. The special grand jury, which was picked in May of last year, has called upon some 75 witnesses, including some who were in Trump’s orbit, such as Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Many of the transcripts from those testimonies could even become public, according to CNN. The special grand jury wrapped up its work, court filings revealed in January. Some of the jurors have embarked on a media tour of sorts since.
“A lot’s gonna come out sooner or later,” one juror told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And it’s gonna be massive. It’s gonna be massive.”
Willis commenced the inquiry after audio of a phone call Trump had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which the then-president underscored the need to “find” 11,780 votes, enough to overturn his 2020 election loss in the Peach State. Trump has denied allegations of wrongdoing and said the call with Raffensperger was “perfect.”
Investigators have at least three recordings of Trump badgering Peach State officials about the election, including one revealed recently in which Trump pressured Georgia House Speaker David Ralston to convene a special session to overturn the election — a request that went unfulfilled.
Although the Raffensperger call helped spark the inquiry, the investigation spanned beyond Trump and encompassed the work of some of his allies, such as Giuliani.
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Trump’s legal team has signaled confidence that the former president will be exonerated. Meanwhile, Trump is facing possible charges from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office over alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He is also weathering scrutiny from special counsel Jack Smith over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
“We can assume that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, as we have, and concluded there were no violations of the law by President Trump,” Trump’s lawyers said in a statement back in January, noting that he was not subpoenaed.