Former President Trump and a suite of 18 co-conspirators were indicted by a Georgia grand jury Monday on charges tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The charges follow a more than two-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) into Trump’s efforts to pressure state officials to intervene to reverse his loss while also organizing a group of 16 Georgians to serve as fake electors and claim the former president had won the state.
The indictment also targets several Trump allies accused of aiding in the scheme, naming Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Ken Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell as co-conspirators. Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows also faces charges, as does Jeffrey Clark, a former DOJ lawyer Trump mulled installing as attorney general.
In total, the indictment lists charges on 41 counts, making it the fourth criminal case brought against Trump this year.
“I make decisions in this office based on the facts in the law,” Willis said at a press conference late Monday night. “The law is completely nonpartisan. That’s how decisions are made in every case to date.”
Willis said Trump and the other defendants must voluntarily surrender by Aug. 25 at noon, and that she hopes to schedule a single trial for all the defendants within the next six months.
The indictment brings sweeping Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges to weave together actions taken by numerous people involved in the plots, relying on a law crafted to address any criminal “enterprise.” It outlines 161 acts prosecutors allege furthered that conspiracy.
It also alleges that Trump’s conduct violated a number of other criminal statutes in Georgia, including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer as well as several conspiracy charges relating to filing fraudulent documents, including forgery and making false statements.
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