Trump and 18 defendants ordered to surrender in Georgia by Aug. 25
Former President Donald Trump was hit with new indictments this week courtesy of Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis.
According to The Epoch Times, the former president, along with 18 co-conspirators named in the indictments, have until Aug. 25 to surrender themselves. They will be booked and reportedly have mugshots taken before either being held in jail or released as part of a promise to return for the trial.
Some high-profile former Trump associates and allies were named in the indictment, including Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and former chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Willis, under fire with accusations that she pursued the high-profile case for political reasons, denied that's the case, saying "The law is completely nonpartisan. That’s how decisions are made in every case to date."
What happens now?
While previous Trump indictments have been written off to varying degrees as flimsy or clearly partisan witch hunts in nature, some believe the Georgia indictments could be Trump's most serious legal hurdle.
"Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states," the indictment read.
The Epoch Times noted:
Under the indictment, President Trump and the other defendants are each charged with one count of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and allegedly engaged in “criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia—and elsewhere—to accomplish the illegal goal” of keeping the former president in office.
Still, many believe that Willis is only using the case to bolster her political profile.
This is collusion. Georgia GOP politician refers to the Trump RICO indictment as “our” opportunity to get rid of Trump.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) August 15, 2023
Through three previous indictments, two federal and one out of New York, the former president has managed to avoid having a mugshot taken. The Fulton County sheriff seemed to suggest earlier this month that Trump and those indicted in the case will all be booked and mugshotted like anyone else.
Trial date set
In a late-breaking report Wednesday, Fox News reported that DA Willis has set a proposed trial date of March 4, 2024, which happens to be smack-dab in the middle of primary season, bolstering accusations that the case is yet another attempt to hamstring Trump's chances in 2024.
Trump has responded a number of times to the case on Truth Social, and made his feelings clear on what's happening to him in a recent statement.
"Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Biden’s playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign,” the former president's statement read. "All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail."
Only time will tell if Trump manages to escape serious charges -- and potential jail time -- in the Georgia indictment. His lawyers are certainly earning their pay at this point.
