US: Trump indicted for election subversion in Georgia. What does it mean?

Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted in the 2020 election subversion case in Georgia. Prosecutors say Trump and others “joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome” of the election. It’s a rollercoaster for the former US President and his crew as they now face a shocking twist in their legal saga.

Trump and a whopping 18 of his allies are now indicted for their attempts to overturn the 2020 US presidential election results. The charges come with a side of organised crime vibes, as prosecutors accuse them of cooking up a “criminal enterprise” to cling to power.

Trump’s legal rollercoaster

The nearly 100-page indictment spills the tea on how Trump and his squad went all out to reverse their electoral loss. From arm-twisting the Georgia secretary of state to hunting down fraud claims, and even trying to get their pals as electoral college electors, it’s like a political soap opera.

But wait, there’s more! A jaw-dropping plot is revealed, starring one of Trump’s lawyers in a scheme to mess with voting machines and swipe data from a voting machine company. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis didn't hold back, labelling them as the players in a “criminal racketeering enterprise” on a mission to flip the election using shady moves.

Fourth straight in a row

This is the fourth indictment Trump is facing. The former president, who is the current GOP 2024 front-runner, has already been charged in three separate cases this year. He denies any wrongdoing and says they are politically motivated.

The latest indictment roundup includes some big names: Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff; Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney; and Jeffrey Clark, a Trump administration Justice Department official. Not to mention the battery of lawyers like John Eastman, Sidney Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro, who had some wild ideas to change the game.

Those charged are due to surrender by Aug. 25, setting the stage for a courtroom showdown. But that’s not all! This legal twist adds another layer to the recent line-up of cases against Trump. It’s been a whirlwind of charges, following the Justice Department special counsel’s move to tag him for an election conspiracy. Looks like US authorities are ready to hold Trump accountable for the Capitol chaos too.

Political soap opera

As if this wasn’t enough drama, the Georgia case mingles with Trump’s Washington indictment, bringing a double dose of trouble. The indictment paints a picture of Trump as a player in a “criminal organisation,” stirring the pot and aiming to undermine democracy across multiple US states.

The legal fireworks kicked off with charges mysteriously popping up on a county website, but Trump’s legal team wasn’t about to let that slide, calling foul on the whole situation.

As the investigation unfolds, Trump and his team are playing the victim card, spinning their legal battles into political gold for his upcoming 2024 presidential campaign. “This politically-inspired indictment, which could have been brought close to three years ago, was tailored for placement right smack in the middle of my political campaign,” Trump told US media.

Who are the 19 defendants charged in the indictment:

DONALD TRUMP: Then-President Donald Trump fixated on Georgia after the 2020 general election, refusing to accept his narrow loss in the state and making unfounded assertions of widespread election fraud there.

RUDY GIULIANI: During several legislative hearings at the Georgia Capitol in December 2020, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney promoted unsupported allegations of widespread election fraud in Georgia.

JOHN EASTMAN: A former dean of Chapman University law school in Southern California, John Eastman, one of Trump’s lawyers, was deeply involved in some of his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election.

MARK MEADOWS: Trump’s chief of staff visited Cobb County, in the Atlanta suburbs, while state investigators were conducting an audit of the signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in December 2020.

SIDNEY POWELL: A lawyer and staunch Trump ally, Sidney Powell was part of a group who met at the South Carolina home of conservative attorney Lin Wood in November 2020 “for the purpose of exploring options to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere,” prosecutors have said.

KENNETH CHESEBRO: Prosecutors have said Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Georgia Republicans in the weeks after the November 2020 election at the direction of Trump’s campaign. Chesebro worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

JEFFREY CLARK: A US. Justice Department official who championed Trump’s false claims of election fraud, Jeffrey Clark presented colleagues with a draft letter pushing Georgia officials to convene a special legislative session on the election results.

JENNA ELLIS: The lawyer appeared with Rudy Giuliani at a Dec. 3, 2020, hearing hosted by state Republican lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol during which false allegations of election fraud were made.

RAY SMITH: A Georgia-based lawyer, Ray Smith was involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. He also gathered witnesses to provide testimony before Georgia legislative subcommittee hearings held in December 2020 on alleged issues with the state’s election.

ROBERT CHEELEY: A Georgia lawyer, Robert Cheeley presented video clips to legislators of election workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta and alleged the workers were counting votes twice or sometimes three times.

MICHAEL ROMAN: A former White House aide who served as the director of Trump’s election day operations, Michael Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

DAVID SHAFER: The chairman of the Georgia GOP, Shafer was one of 16 state Republicans who met at the state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won.

SHAWN STILL: He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

STEPHEN CLIFFGARD LEE: Prosecutors say Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, worked with others to try to pressure Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman and her mother after Trump and his allies falsely accused them of pulling fraudulent ballots from a suitcase during the vote count.

HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD: Also known as Willie Lewis Floyd III, he served as director of Black Voices for Trump, and is accused of recruiting Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman and Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti.

TREVIAN C. KUTTI: Prosecutors allege publicist Trevian C. Kutti claimed to have high level law enforcement connections. They say Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Floyd into the conversation on a speakerphone. Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud.

CATHY LATHAM: One of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors, Cathy Latham was also chair of the Coffee County Republican Party. 

SCOTT GRAHAM HALL: an Atlanta-area bail bondsman, Scott Graham Hall was allegedly involved in commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems from Coffee County, a small South Georgia jurisdiction.

MISTY HAMPTON: She was the elections director in Coffee County. Misty Hampton was present in the county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when a computer forensics team copied software and data from the county’s election equipment. —AP