Donald Trump and 18 of his associates were indicted in Georgia on charges related to their attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. The indictment alleges that they engaged in a “criminal enterprise” using tactics typically associated with organized crime to keep Trump in power. The charges include acts such as pressuring Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to find more votes for Trump, harassing an election worker, and trying to influence Georgia lawmakers to appoint electors favorable to Trump.
The indictment outlines various efforts by Trump and his allies to undo his election loss, including a scheme involving one of his lawyers attempting to access voting machines and steal data from a voting machine company. Defendants include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and other lawyers who promoted legally questionable ideas to overturn the election.
The indictment marks the fourth criminal case against Trump in five months and comes on the heels of a Justice Department special counsel charging him in a conspiracy to overturn the election. The Georgia indictment covers some of the same ground as the recent Washington indictment, but it involves a larger group of defendants and portrays their actions as part of a “criminal organization” and “enterprise.”
Trump and his allies have characterized the investigation as politically motivated, and they criticized the process after an apparent leak of the indictment before it was officially issued. The indictment adds to the legal challenges Trump is facing, which include federal charges of hoarding classified documents and a New York state case of falsifying business records.
Despite the mounting indictments, Trump continues to campaign and fundraise, portraying himself as a victim of Democratic prosecutors. His Republican allies have also defended him, dismissing the charges as a “sham.”
Original Source
Trump and 18 allies charged in Georgia election meddling | AP News