Former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies have been indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, on charges of election interference, racketeering and other crimes related to their attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state. The indictment, which was unsealed on Monday, is the fourth criminal case that Trump is facing and the first one at the state level. Here are seven key takeaways from the indictment:
- The indictment accuses Trump of leading a criminal enterprise to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of himself, after refusing to accept that he lost. The indictment alleges that Trump and his co-defendants engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity that included soliciting public officials to violate their oaths, making false statements and writings, impersonating public officers, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, conspiracy to defraud the state and perjury.
- The indictment cites Trump’s infamous phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, as one of the overt acts of the conspiracy. In the recorded call, Trump asked Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” to overturn his defeat by Joe Biden in Georgia. The indictment charges Trump with soliciting Raffensperger to commit election fraud, a felony under Georgia law.
- The indictment also names 18 other defendants who allegedly participated in the conspiracy with Trump. They include his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, conservative lawyer John Eastman, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and lawyers Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis. The indictment alleges that they aided and abetted Trump in his efforts to pressure Georgia officials, spread false claims of election fraud and submit fake electors to Congress.
- The indictment relies heavily on evidence from social media posts, especially Twitter, to support the charges. The indictment cites dozens of tweets from Trump and his co-defendants that allegedly show their intent to interfere with the election and intimidate election workers and officials. The indictment also references tweets from former President Barack Obama, former Attorney General William Barr and former Vice President Mike Pence that contradicted Trump’s claims of election fraud.
- The indictment identifies 30 unindicted co-conspirators who allegedly assisted or conspired with Trump and his co-defendants in their scheme. They include Republican members of Congress, such as Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, who objected to certifying Biden’s victory on January 6; Georgia state lawmakers, such as Senator Brandon Beach and Representative Vernon Jones, who tried to convene a special session to overturn the election; and media personalities, such as Fox News host Sean Hannity and radio host Mark Levin, who amplified Trump’s false claims.
- The indictment also highlights the impact of Trump’s actions on Georgia election workers and officials who faced threats and harassment from his supporters. The indictment mentions Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County election worker who testified before Congress about her experience of being targeted by Trump and his allies; Gabriel Sterling, a Georgia election official who pleaded with Trump to stop inciting violence; and Raffensperger and his family, who received death threats and had to go into hiding.
- The indictment is the result of a more than two-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who took office in January 2021 and announced her probe shortly after. Willis said at a news conference on Monday that she will seek to try all 19 defendants together and that she is confident in her case. She also said that she is not motivated by politics but by her duty to uphold the law. “This is not about Republicans or Democrats,” she said. “This is about the rule of law.”
