Donald Trump indicted: Fani Willis says Trump and co-conspirators attempted to ‘seize’ presidential term
Jack Birle
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Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis said that former President Donald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators attempted to “seize” a presidential term when she outlined the indictment against the 19 individuals.
Trump was indicted on 13 charges, including racketeering charges related to the 2020 election. The grand jury that indicted Trump and 18 others was convened by Willis in May 2022. Willis spoke at a press conference late Monday night after the indictment was unsealed.
DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: GEORGIA GRAND JURY CHARGES EX-PRESIDENT WITH RICO CHARGES FOR 2020 ELECTION
“Every individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating Georgia’s Racketeer, Influenced, and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on January 20th, 2021. Specifically, the participant in association took various actions in Georgia and elsewhere, to block the counting of the votes of the presidential electors, who were certified as the winners of Georgia’s 2020 general election,” Willis said.
Willis added that the defendants charged in the indictment would have until noon local time on Aug. 25 to turn themselves in to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia.
“The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia’s legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia’s presidential election result. Subsequent to the indictment, as is the normal process in Georgia law, the grand jury issued arrest warrants for those who are charged. I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023,” Willis said.
Willis also reiterated that defendants are innocent until proven guilty. She said that a proposed scheduling order will be filed to the court and that she is seeking a trial “within the next six months.”
When pressed on the “fictitious document” posted to the clerk’s website earlier on Monday, Willis declined to comment or “speculate.” The document posted earlier on Monday was very similar to the indictment unsealed late on Monday night.
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The former president has been indicted in three other jurisdictions this year. Trump was indicted in Manhattan in March on charges related to the alleged falsification of business records, he was federally indicted in Florida for his alleged mishandling of classified documents in June, and he was federally indicted in Washington, D.C., earlier this month for charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump is the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, leading all other candidates by nearly 40%, per the RealClearPolitics polling average. Winning the GOP nomination would likely lead to a 2020 election rematch against President Joe Biden, who is the front-runner on the Democratic side.