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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 16 august 2023
Trump and 18 allies charged in Georgia election meddling

Continued from Front pinnings of American de- declined to comment fur-
mocracy. ther on a kerfuffle that the
In one particularly brazen The Georgia case covers Trump legal team jumped
episode, it also outlines a some of the same ground on to attack the investiga-
plot involving one of his as Trump’s recent indict- tion’s integrity.
lawyers to access voting ment in Washington, in- Trump and his allies, who
machines in a rural Geor- cluding attempts he and have characterized the
gia county and steal data his allies made to disrupt investigation as politically
from a voting machine the electoral vote count at motivated, immediately
company. the Capitol. seized on the apparent er-
“The indictment alleges But in its sprawling web of ror to claim that the proc-
that rather than abide by defendants — 19 in total ess was rigged. Trump’s
Georgia’s legal process for — the indictment stands campaign aimed to fund-
election challenges, the apart from the more tightly raise off it, sending out an
defendants engaged in a targeted case brought by email with the since-delet-
criminal racketeering en- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, speaks in the special counsel Jack Smith, ed document embedded.
terprise to overturn Geor- Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, which so far only names In a statement after the
gia’s presidential election Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Trump as a defendant. indictment was issued,
result,” Fulton County Dis- Associated Press In charging close Trump Trump’s legal team said
trict Attorney Fani Willis, sults, including John East- mind someone like Trump aides who were referenced “the events that have un-
whose office brought the man, Sidney Powell and who is simultaneously bal- by Smith only as unindicted folded today have been
case, said at a late-night Kenneth Chesebro, were ancing the roles of criminal co-conspirators, the Geor- shocking and absurd, start-
news conference. also charged. defendant and presiden- gia indictment alleges a ing with the leak of a pre-
Other defendants include Willis said the defendants tial candidate. scale of criminal conduct sumed and premature
former White House chief would be permitted to vol- It comes just two weeks af- extending far beyond just indictment before the wit-
of staff Mark Meadows; untarily surrender by noon ter the Justice Department the ex-president. nesses had testified or the
Trump attorney and former Aug. 25. She also said she special counsel charged The indictment, with charg- grand jurors had deliberat-
New York City Mayor Rudy plans to seek a trial date him in a vast conspiracy to es under the state’s racket- ed and ending with the Dis-
Giuliani; and a Trump ad- within six months and that overturn the election, un- eering law and language trict Attorney being unable
ministration Justice Depart- she intends to try the de- derscoring how prosecu- conjuring the seedy under- to offer any explanation.”
ment official, Jeffrey Clark, fendants collectively. tors after lengthy investiga- world of mob bosses and Trump responded to the
who aided the then-pres- The indictment bookends a tions that followed the Jan. gang leaders, accuses the indictment Tuesday by
ident’s efforts to undo his remarkable crush of crimi- 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capi- former president, his former announcing a news con-
election loss in Georgia. nal cases — four in five tol have now, two-and-a- chief of staff, Trump’s attor- ference for next week to
Other lawyers who ad- months, each in a differ- half years later, taken steps neys and the ex-New York present yet another “al-
vanced legally dubious ent city — that would be to hold Trump to account mayor of being members most complete” report on
ideas to overturn the re- daunting for anyone, never for an assault on the under- of a “criminal organization” the alleged fraud he has
and “enterprise” that oper- yet to prove nearly three
ated in Georgia and other years after the 2020 elec-
states. tion.
The indictment capped a Many of the 161 acts by
chaotic day at the court- Trump and his associates
house caused by the brief outlined in the Georgia
but mysterious posting on indictment have already
a county website of a list of received widespread at-
criminal charges that were tention. That includes a
to be brought against the Jan. 2, 2021, call in which
former president. Reuters, Trump urged Secretary of
which published a copy of State Brad Raffensperger
the document, said the fil- to “find” the 11,780 votes
ing was taken down quick- needed to overturn his
ly. election loss. That call,
A Willis spokesperson said prosecutors said, violated
in the afternoon that it a Georgia law against so-
was “inaccurate” to say liciting a public official to
that an indictment had al- violate their oath.q
ready been returned but