WASHINGTON, D.C. – Political scientists believe this most recent indictment against former President Donald Trump could be the most consequential.
Overnight the Fulton County Georgia District Attorney announced former President Donald Trump and his closest allies have been indicted by a grand jury. They’re accused of trying to change the outcome of the Georgia presidential election results in favor of Trump. Trump is now facing four indictments: the first, about hush money payments to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign; The second, about his handling of sensitive government documents he took with him when he left office; The third, his efforts trying to cling onto power after the 2020 election which led to the January 6 US Capitol attack. And now this fourth one.
“Every individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating Georgia’s racketeer, influenced and corrupt organizations act through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia and elsewhere to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on January 20th 2021,” said Fulton County DA Fani Willis.
Todd Belt, a professor and director of political management at George Washington University said this latest indictment is a serious one.
“One of the things we didn’t know was how involved Trump and his associates were in actually trying to get information and trying to really strongarm the elections people in Georgia,” said Belt. “This is something I think is going to really stick to him.
“We recently fielded a GW politics poll and we found was when we asked people first about the hush money case they were more likely to say the other cases against trump, the more serious criminal ones, were politically motivated,” said Belt. “So one of the things we need to watch as this plays out is how the cases are closed as we get closer to the election, which ones stay in the public mind. But if the criminal ones are more prolonged into the general election, I think it might be more detrimental for him.”
The Fulton County DA said Trump has ten days to turn himself in to face these latest accusations.
