Former US President Donald J. Trump has garnered significant notoriety due to his history of engaging in surreptitious activities, particularly related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. On August 14, Trump was indicted by an Atlanta-based jury and subsequently turned himself in on August 24, facing four counts of criminal charges encompassing conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Throughout this period, the prominent politician and business tycoon has been trying to leverage such public scrutiny in order to gain more attention for the upcoming 2024 presidential election. After turning himself in at Fulton County Jail in Georgia, it’s worth noting that this case not only implicates the former US President but also includes the alleged involvement of six co-conspirators, whose identities have yet to be officially disclosed.
Being the fourth criminal case involving the former president, these charges arise from an investigation led by Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County. Prosecutors delving into Trump’s alleged involvement in overturning the 2020 Presidential Election have collected a wealth of evidence, including text messages, video footage, and various other forms of communication exchanged between Trump and Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Secretary of State. The case brought towards President Trump encompasses not only his alleged efforts to overthrow the 2020 election but also allegations of intimidation and the undermining of the votes of numerous American citizens. The specific criminal charges included in this indictment are as follows:
- One Count: Conspiracy To Obstruct An Official Proceeding (January 6 Congressional Proceeding)
- One Count: Obstruction of and the attempted obstruction of an official proceeding
- One Count: Conspiracy Against the Right To Vote and To Account for the Votes
- One Count: Conspiracy To Defraud the United States of America through fraud and deceit to obstruct the federal government from proceeding with the presidential election
Trump, after acknowledging having lost the 2020 presidential election, took it upon himself to appoint several of the co-conspirators to challenge the results and leverage his position to remain in power. Prosecutors say that Trump leveraged false accusations of election fraud in order to get state officials to overturn the votes to his (Trump’s) favor. Additionally, prosecutors say he abused the power of the Justice Department to execute false investigations targeting certain states and leveraged the Justice Department to present fraudulent electors compared to legitimate US citizens, then incited an unlawful and violent riot at Capitol Hill after being told that the efforts to overturn the election were unsuccessful, with supporters of Trump believing former Vice President Mike Pence was responsible for the loss.
Trump pleaded “not guilty” on August 31 and waived the right to appear in court in Georgia. After surrendering on August 24, video footage (taken by CNN) shows Trump’s Boeing 757 taking off from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to return to Newark, New Jersey. This not only signifies the inaugural instance of a former US President facing four indictments but also leaves many wondering whether this signals the conclusion of Trump’s illegal entanglements or if there are yet more chapters to unfold in the saga of the former 45th president.
