Trump Indicted in Georgia: Historic TV Trial Looms
Former President Donald Trump is facing yet another indictment, this time in Georgia, which could prove particularly perilous for him. Unlike the other charges he’s faced this year, the Georgia case is set to be televised, making it a truly historic trial that will be streamed into households across the United States and around the world.
Fani Willis, the district attorney of Georgia, has charged Trump and 18 others with racketeering and other offenses related to their attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Willis expressed her intention to hold the trial within the next six months. This trial stands as the only one that will be broadcast, as federal courtrooms do not allow television cameras.
In addition to the Georgia case, Trump is also facing federal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States in his efforts to overturn the election results. Although a trial date for the federal charges has not yet been set, Smith is requesting a start date of January 2, 2024, three years after Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in a last-ditch effort to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory.
Furthermore, Trump is set to go to trial in Florida in May 2024 for mishandling top-secret government documents. He will also face a state trial in New York in March 2024 for allegedly paying hush money to a porn star on the eve of the election. However, the charges in Georgia carry significantly more severity.
The main accusation against Trump in the Georgia case is his attempt to overturn the election results in the state, where he lost to Biden by a margin of under 12,000 votes. A phone call in which Trump is recorded asking Georgia election officials to find 11,780 votes serves as a crucial piece of evidence.
What sets the Georgia indictment apart from the others is the charge of racketeering, not present in the other prosecutions. Willis ties them all together by levying one charge against Mr. Trump and each of the 18 other defendants under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO, accusing Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators of functioning as a criminal gang, attorneys Norman Eisen and Amy Lee Copland explained in The New York Times.
If convicted of racketeering, which is typically used against organized crime, Trump could face a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Trump has maintained his innocence in both the New York and federal cases, accusing his Democratic opponents of using the charges to derail his political ambitions.
It’s worth noting that if Trump were to win the presidential election in 2024, he would not be able to pardon himself for state charges like those in New York and Georgia. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. In Georgia, pardons are granted by a five-member Board of Pardons and Paroles rather than the governor.
To be eligible for a pardon in Georgia, an offender must have completed their prison sentence at least five years prior and have lived a law-abiding life since their release.
As the trial approaches, all eyes will be on Georgia, where the TV trial of Donald Trump will make history and determine the fate of the former president.
