In Georgia, Donald Trump was charged with racketeering as well as a dozen other counts. A vast criminal conspiracy to thwart Joe Biden’s election in the state for president in 2020 was described in the indictment.
What to observe as the case develops is as follows:
When will Donald Trump give up?
Trump and the other 18 accused were given until August 25—10 days—by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to voluntarily surrender. No mug shots were taken in the three further felony cases involving Trump. However, authorities claimed it would be a deviation from Georgian custom, where he will also be fingerprinted.
Veterans of the Georgia legal system predicted that Trump’s attorney would ask for a “consent-bond,” which would allow for Trump’s immediate release under specific conditions. The option is to show up for a bond hearing within 72 hours, where a judge will determine if he constitutes a flight risk or any other harm to the community.
What format would court proceedings take?
In Georgia, a defendant has the option to forego arraignment. If Trump takes this action, he won’t be forced to show up at a preliminary hearing where the charges against him are officially laid out.
From there, it is almost certain that the defendants will submit a variety of pretrial motions, which may cause the case to be delayed or have its details altered. They might ask for the dismissal of some of the charges against them, which would trigger preliminary hearings.
Legal professionals anticipate that Trump’s attorneys will ask for the case to be transferred to federal court on the basis that it concerns conduct that Trump took while he was president. Such a request was made on Tuesday by his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who claimed that the accusations against him should be dropped or at the very least transferred to federal court because the alleged behavior in the indictment was obviously within the scope of his responsibilities.
“This is precisely the kind of state interference in a federal official’s duties that the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits, and that the removal statute shields against,” attorneys Joseph Englert and George Terwilliger stated in a court filing.
According to experts, Trump would benefit from a similar action in a number of ways, including access to a broader and more politically diverse jury pool from beyond Democratic-leaning Atlanta. The trial for Willis could yet take place in federal court.
But in the past, Trump hasn’t been granted such demands, made within the first 30 days of accusations. In July, a judge rejected transferring his New York state hush-money prosecution to federal court, concluding that when he allegedly reimbursed money paid to silence a porn star, he wasn’t performing his presidential duties.
What time would a trial begin?
Legal experts say it is improbable that Willis will be able to try all 19 defendants in six months given the anticipated protracted pretrial litigation involving a sizable group of defendants. However, Willis stated on Monday that she wants to try all 19 defendants.
The indictment names a large number of individuals, making scheduling difficult. As the race for the presidency in 2024 heats up, it might be even harder for Trump as he faces the possibility of three further criminal trials that could start within a few months of one another.
What impact would that have on the campaign?
Trump is combining the two, making the courtroom the focal point of his campaign, rather than selecting how to divide his time between the campaign path and the courtroom.
With the GOP primary due to begin in January, Trump has maintained his lead in the polls. If Trump is ordered to appear in court, his team is planning how to keep him in the public eye.
Social media usage is planned, as are live evening events and prepared policy videos.
Trump’s indictment on various federal allegations of election meddling in Washington by special counsel Jack Smith has asked for a trial date of January 2. That might cause a judge to accept it, which would cause Willis’ Georgia case to be delayed.
Will Jack Smith’s case be affected by the Georgia charges?
Possibly. Smith’s new federal indictment of Trump for allegedly attempting to rig the 2020 election uses many of the same witnesses and evidence as the Georgia case. Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell, all of whom support Trump, are among those charged in Georgia and are clearly identifiable as co-conspirators who haven’t been indicted in Smith’s case. Despite giving testimony to Smith’s grand jury, some people, including Meadows, only faced charges in Willis’ case.
Due to the overlap, some witnesses who are called to appear in the federal trial may assert their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination since they are aware that what they say could be used against them in Georgia, according to legal experts.
It is difficult to find witnesses who will testify because the two cases are proceeding at nearly the same time.
In an effort to undermine Smith’s case, Trump’s attorneys might possibly try to use discovery information that Georgian prosecutors supplied with them. For instance, when interrogating the same witnesses during Trump’s trial before Smith, they might concentrate on discrepancies in their testimony before the Georgia grand jury, according to legal experts.
Although Willis had previously claimed that Smith’s team had been working independently, she would not clarify whether she had been in contact with them on Monday.
“It could go very smoothly if Willis and Smith work well together, and they understand they both have one goal, and that’s justice,” said Barb McQuade, a former US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. However, because of their true strategic disagreements, they will need to hash things out together in order to decide what is best moving ahead.
How has Trump responded to the situation?
According to Trump’s Truth Social platform, the probe is a “witch hunt.”
Trump announced on Tuesday that he would give an update on the Georgia race during a news conference the following week. “They never pursued those responsible for the election’s fraud. Only those who actively pursued the RIGGERS were pursued, he claimed.
Despite recounts and many legal cases that were dismissed or withdrawn, no evidence of massive fraud was discovered in Georgia.
