Topline
Former President Donald Trump will be arraigned and asked to enter a plea in Georgia on charges related to his election interference case on the morning of September 6, according to his docket.
Getting worried, Sir? Former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants in Georgia are … [+] scheduled to be arraigned next Wednesday morning.
Key Facts
Trump and his 18 co-defendants in the case are scheduled to be arraigned next Wednesday, with Trump scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and the others following him in 15-minute periods.
Last Thursday Trump surrendered in Georgia—and had his mug shot taken for the first time in his four indictments—before being released on a $200,000 bond that barred him from intimidating witnesses or co-defendants in the case by making threats against them, including on social media.
He is facing 13 charges in Georgia—all of which are punishable by prison time—including racketeering, solicitation of violation of oath by a public official, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, filing false documents and conspiracy to commit filing false documents.
The Georgia indictment was Trump’s fourth of the year, following a state indictment in New York for falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush-money scheme, a federal indictment related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office and another federal indictment for his role in attempting to manipulate the 2020 election results.
Key Background
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office convened a special grand jury in January 2022 to weigh evidence surrounding Trump’s conduct in the wake of the 2020 presidential election and in the lead-up to the January 6 Capitol. In a January 2021 phone call with Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump asked him to “find” 11,780 votes he needed to win the state, citing unfounded allegations of fraud, including that 10,000 dead people had voted, that election workers counted suitcases full of illegal ballots and that the voting machine company, Dominion, was the source of widespread fraud. Trump is also accused of attempting to recruit fake electors in Georgia to cast their votes for him instead of Biden during the process to certify Electoral College results. Willis’ office has also obtained text messages from Trump affiliates, including former attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, indicating they had orchestrated a breach of voting equipment in Coffee County in which Trump supporters and allies got unapproved access to voting machines.
Tangent
Trump also received word that the trial date was set in the federal case against him for potential election interference on Monday. Judge Tanya Chutkan shut down the former president’s request to set the trial in 2026, and also denied the prosecution’s request to have it in less than five months, CNBC reported. The trial is now set to begin on March 4, according to the Associated Press.
Further Reading
MORE FROM FORBESTrump Indicted By Fulton County Grand Jury In Georgia Election Interference CaseBy Sara DornMORE FROM FORBESTrump Surrenders In Georgia: Here’s What Happens Next-From Arraignment To Trial DateBy Alison DurkeeCnbcAP NewsTrump lawyers back in DC court as two sides differ over trial date in election subversion case
