US: Trump Slapped with more Criminal Charges

By Staff, Agencies

A Georgia grand jury has voted to indict former US President Donald Trump on 41 criminal counts, including a felony racketeering charge linked to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential race.

Several of his current and former allies also face prosecution, among them ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who previously served as Trump’s lawyer.

District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Georgia, unveiled the new case on Monday night, with the ex-president set to be charged for an alleged violation of the state’s organized crime law, known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO.

The charges also include several counts for conspiracy to interfere in an election, perjury, and others for soliciting a public official to violate their oath.

“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,” a charging document said.

The racketeering charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the conspiracy counts could each result in one year behind bars at minimum.

In addition to Trump, 18 others were also indicted as part of the same case, including his White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and a long list of current and former lawyers, such as Giuliani, who was once a vocal advocate for the ex-president. All are accused of seeking to invalidate Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential race.

The latest criminal case centers on allegations that Trump sought to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to help him win the last presidential race, having urged the official to “find 11,780 votes” in his own favor during a much-publicized January 2, 2021 phone call.