Tag: Fani Willis

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Crime Donald Trump Elections

New Court Filing Suggests Georgia Criminal Case Against Trump Is Gaining Momentum

Earlier this week, Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis filed a motion in court that would disqualify one of the attorneys representing 10 of the fake Georgia electors who attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State, a move that is “ominous for the defense lawyers involved — and signals accelerating accountability for fake elector ringleaders,” according to legal analyst Norman Eisen.

In a column he wrote for MSNBC, Eisen notes that the court filing alleges attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow represents an elector who violated Georgia election law.

“It’s not clear whether that possible offense relates to the fake electoral slates or something else. In either event, the development could serve as an important breakthrough for the district attorney,” Eisen explains.

Nor is the motion encouraging for Trump.

Willis appears to be gathering momentum. Trump already faces prosecution in New York and, once Willis secures her cooperators, a Georgia indictment may not be far behind.

Eisen also reminds readers that “This is just the latest example of lawyers tied to the Trump probes being accused of potential wrongdoing,” adding:

Thankfully, prosecutors and the courts are well equipped to handle these problems as they arise. Willis has done just that here and — given Judge Robert McBurney’s careful consideration of the case thus far — we are confident that he will get to the bottom of the matter. Justice demands nothing less.

Trump has already been indicted in Manhattan on charges of falsifying business records. But the Georgia investigation is a much greater threat to him, if only because it would involve racketeering charges that would enhance any potential sentence he receives if he’s found guilty in the state.

There’s also the looming specter of what Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith will find regarding Trump’s possible culpability for what took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, along with potential espionage charges in response to the failed former president’s stealing of classified documents which he later stored at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

The next few months promise to be the worst of Donald Trump’s life, and few people are more deserving of getting pelted with a giant dose of karma than the twice-impeached former POTUS.

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Crime Donald Trump Elections

Georgia DA Likely To ‘Go Big’ With Indictment Of Trump For Election Crimes: Report

Having already been indicted in Manhattan on 34 counts of falsifying financial records related to his paying hush money to Stormy Daniels, failed former president Donald Trump and his attorneys are now anxiously expecting the next bad legal news will come from Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis.

Unlike the Manhattan case, according to The New York Times, the Georgia one would be far more complex and present an even greater threat to the ex-president.

“While nothing is certain, there are numerous signs that she may go big, with a more kaleidoscopic indictment charging not only Mr. Trump, but perhaps a dozen or more of his allies. Nearly 20 people are already known to have been told that they are targets who could face charges, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer, and David Shafer, the head of the Georgia Republican Party.”

One of the most troubling aspects of the Georgia case is that it’s likely to involve charges of racketeering, which would enhance any penalties for those who are found guilty.

“The wide scope of the investigation has been evident for months, and Ms. Willis has said that seeking an indictment under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute is an option that she is considering. (Willis) may do so after a new grand jury begins its work in the second week of May, though nothing is set in stone. Typically, presenting such cases to a regular grand jury is a short process that takes a day or two.”

And Willis has already hinted that she believes RICO applies to Trump and those who tried to help him overturn the results of the last presidential election.

“RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutor’s office or law enforcement to tell the whole story. And so we use it as a tool so that they can have all the information they need to make a wise decision.”

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Crime Donald Trump Elections

Trump Had Better Prepare Himself For ‘Much More Serious Charges’ In Georgia: Report

While the 34-count indictment handed down by a grand jury in Manhattan is currently making the headlines, failed one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump faces much greater legal peril — including decades behind bars — in the state of Georgia.

Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis certainly understands that her investigation is serious business and is taking every precaution, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Willis travels with a security detail and has equipped some members of her team with bulletproof vests and keychains with panic buttons. Early last year, she urged the FBI to conduct a risk assessment of the Fulton courthouse and government center after Trump called for similar large-scale protests against “prosecutorial misconduct” during a political rally. A few months later, the Fulton Sheriff’s office blocked off vehicle traffic on the streets surrounding the courthouse the day members of a special grand jury were selected and deployed a SWAT team to protect jurors as they returned to their cars hours later. It also assigned heavily armed officers to guard the courthouse steps and a bomb-sniffing dog the day a key witness, Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, arrived to testify.

Charles Pierce of Esquire notes that even if Trump does manage to slither out of being convicted in New York, the stakes in the Peach State are significantly higher.

And, even if the former president* were to win in New York, so what? Willis’ charges are far more serious than Bragg’s are. In Atlanta, the former president* may be indicted for crimes against the republic, for offenses against the idea of popular democracy. That is also Jack Smith’s brief for the DOJ, an investigation that looms like a giant Dust Bowl cloud behind these state prosecutions. Time has come today, in the immortal words of the Chambers Brothers. There are things to…realize.

 

Categories
Crime Donald Trump Elections

Tuesday Decision By Georgia DA Should Terrify Trump And His Attorneys

A decision announced in court Tuesday by Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is certain to alarm disgraced former president Donald Trump and his attorneys.

According to CNN, Willis said that a special grand jury impaneled to investigate Trump and some of his allies in their attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State has recommended indictments for “multiple” defendants and the release those names and the charges against them is “imminent.”

“Decisions are imminent,” Willis told Judge Robert McBurney. We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly, and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly it’s not appropriate at this time to have this report released.”

Donald Wakeford, Fulton County’s chief senior assistant district attorney, echoed Willis’ remarks:

“We think immediately releasing before the district attorney has even had an opportunity to address publicly whether there will be charges or not – because there has not been a meaningful enough amount of time to assess it – is dangerous. It’s dangerous to the people who may or may not be named in the report for various reasons. It’s also a disservice to the witnesses who came to the grand jury and spoke the truth to the grand jury.”

The judge agreed, promising there would be “no rash decisions.”

“No one’s going to wake up with the court having disclosed the report on the front page of a newspaper.”

Why is this such bad news for Trump and others, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who also allegedly tried to get Georgia election officials to “find” additional votes for the failed ex-president? Simple: If no criminal charges were planned, the report could be made public without any delay.

What happens next? Willis will have to decide if she wants to pursue charges against those identified by the grand jury. And that’s where things could get dicey for Trump, CNN notes.

Willis has previously said she could pursue Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges in this case, which would allow prosecutors to bring charges against multiple defendants and make the case that Trump and his allies were part of a criminal enterprise.

Racketeering charges also carry enhanced penalties that could send those charged — if convicted — to decades in a Georgia prison.

Things are about to get very interesting who played a part in trying to overturn the will of the voters, and every eye is now on the state of Georgia.