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How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case
How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case
The Georgia prosecutor investigating Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state is reportedly weighing a racketeering indictment against the former president and others. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could rely on evidence tied to Mr Trump’s infamous call to the state’s top elections official to “find” votes for him, as well as the breach of voting machines by a group of Trump-connected operatives, according to The Guardian, citing two people briefed on the matter. Prosecutors are reportedly reviewing a racketeering indictment including statutes related to influencing witnesses and computer trespass. An indictment is expected within the first two weeks of August. The office has been investigating efforts to overturn election results in the state and the baseless allegations of widespread election fraud that fuelled them, adding to a long list of investigations and other legal consequences facing the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination for president and his allies who rejected 2020 results. Ms Willis’s investigation is separate from the federal probe under US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating a broader effort from Mr Trump and his allies to reverse election results in states Mr Trump lost to Joe Biden, culminating in a pressure campaign around Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify electoral college results during a joint session of Congress on 6 January, 2021. A grand jury in the Fulton County case was seated on 11 July. Ms Willis has made a career out of high-profile cases involving charges of racketeering– typically used to break up organised crime – including indictments against more than two dozen people connected to a sprawling Atlanta hip-hop empire, 38 alleged gang members, and 25 educators accused of cheating Atlanta’s public school system. Georgia’s racketeering statute requires prosecutors to show the existence of an “enterprise” with a pattern predicated on at least two other “qualifying” crimes. Evidence in the case is unlikely to be revealed until an indictment is unsealed, but a charge involving influences witnesses could look to Mr Trump’s phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Mr Trump suggested that he “find” him 11,780 votes – enough to swing the election in the state. For the computer trespass charge, in which prosecutors would need to show that defendants used a computer or network without permission to interfere with a program or data, prosecutors could turn to the breach of voting machines in Coffee County. That breach involved a group of people working under former Trump-connected attorney Sidney Powell to copy voting machine data at the county’s election office. That data from Dominion Voting Systems machines was uploaded to a password-protected website in a spurious, failed effort to prove that the 2020 election was rigged against Mr Trump. The Independent has requested comment from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office. Roughly one year into her investigation, Ms Willis took the unusual step of asking for a special grand jury to rely on its subpoena power to compel testimony from witnesses who otherwise would not be willing to talk with prosecutors. That special grand jury was seated in May 2022 and concluded its work in January 2022 after hearing from roughly 75 witnesses before dissolving in January. A partially released report from the special grand jury shows that jurors unanimously agreed that “no widespread fraud took place” in Georgia’s election following interviews with election officials, analysis and poll workers. Mr Trump also faces criminal charges in Manhattan stemming from hush money payments allegedly made to silence stories about his alleged affairs in the lead up to the 2016 election. Mr Trump and his adult children also face a likely trial from a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General’s office alleging a years-long fraud operation. A federal judge in Florida has also set a trial date of 20 May, 2024 on charges surrounding the alleged mishandling and illegal retention of dozens of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property. The former president has repeatedly characterised the multiple investigations against him, including the January 6 probe, as a politically motivated “hoax” and an attempt to “steal” the 2024 election from him. On 23 July, Mr Trump published several posts on his social network Truth Social, once again calling the special prosecutor “deranged”. He claimed that investigations into him were a “coordinated HOAX,” pointing to the probe into allegations of collusion between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia. Mr Trump also went after President Joe Biden, claiming without providing evidence that he’s a “criminal” before going on to call him “the most corrupt and incompetent President in United States history”. “Get smart, Republicans, they are trying to steal the Election from you!” he wrote before referring to Democrats and federal and state prosecutors as “monsters” who are “destroying our country”. Read More Trump classified documents trial will be six months before 2024 election as Jan 6 cases close in - latest Who is Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who could take down Trump Georgia grand jury sworn in to consider Trump charges over attempts to upend 2020 election Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election: The federal investigation, explained
2023-07-25 03:26
'Like hell': India's burning coalfields
'Like hell': India's burning coalfields
Deadly fires have raged for a century in mines in India's Jharkhand state, where Savitri Mahto is one of 100,000 people risking their lives shovelling...
2023-07-14 12:55
Hollywood actors guild votes to authorize strike, as writers strike continues
Hollywood actors guild votes to authorize strike, as writers strike continues
Actors represented by the Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA voted to authorize a strike if the major studios, streamers and production companies don’t meet their demands for a new contract by June 30
2023-06-06 10:22
Rushdie urges end to fighting between Israel and Hamas
Rushdie urges end to fighting between Israel and Hamas
Author Salman Rushdie on Friday called for a "cessation" in fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, saying he was...
2023-10-20 20:50
How tall is Blueface? Fans believe 'Thotiana' rapper got 'height advantage' after joining boxing
How tall is Blueface? Fans believe 'Thotiana' rapper got 'height advantage' after joining boxing
Exploring Blueface's height in comparison with rapper DaBaby and ex-girlfriend Chrisean Rock
2023-10-17 14:51
Four Americans wrongfully detained in Iran released on house arrest, signaling a potential end to their imprisonment
Four Americans wrongfully detained in Iran released on house arrest, signaling a potential end to their imprisonment
Four Americans who have been wrongfully detained in Iran have been released from prison and are now under house arrest, a lawyer for one of the prisoners told CNN on Thursday, a sign that they may soon be freed from years of imprisonment.
2023-08-11 00:20
Stock market today: World shares mixed after Wall Street retreat
Stock market today: World shares mixed after Wall Street retreat
World shares are mixed after Wall Street benchmarks retreated following the S&P 500's rise to its highest level since the spring of last year
2023-06-21 17:55
Skepticism prevails as Chinese leaders promise to back private businesses to spur slowing economy
Skepticism prevails as Chinese leaders promise to back private businesses to spur slowing economy
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is promising to drag the economy out of a crisis of confidence aggravated by tensions with Washington, wilting exports, job losses and anxiety among foreign companies about an expanded anti-spying law
2023-07-31 11:59
Who is John Bailey's wife? 'As Good As It Gets' cinematographer and former Academy president dead at 81
Who is John Bailey's wife? 'As Good As It Gets' cinematographer and former Academy president dead at 81
John Bailey had worked on classics like 'As Good as It Gets', 'Ordinary People', and 'The Big Chill'
2023-11-13 19:47
Serbia's president denies troop buildup near Kosovo, alleges 'campaign of lies' in wake of clashes
Serbia's president denies troop buildup near Kosovo, alleges 'campaign of lies' in wake of clashes
Serbia’s president has denied reports of a military buildup along the border with Kosovo
2023-10-01 19:21
ArcelorMittal Profit Drops as Steel Market Demand Weakens
ArcelorMittal Profit Drops as Steel Market Demand Weakens
ArcelorMittal SA’s third-quarter profit fell as steel prices declined in key markets due to weaker demand. The world’s
2023-11-09 14:50
Vietnam Orders Food Security Ensured, Rice Supply Boosted
Vietnam Orders Food Security Ensured, Rice Supply Boosted
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the government to ensure national food security under all circumstances, while
2023-08-06 19:19