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Trump indictment live updates: Fulton County grand jury charges former president in Georgia...Trump was charged with felony racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges in the 41-count indictment, which named a total of 19 defendants.
NBC News ^ | Aug. 15, 2023, 8:07 AM CDT | Staff

Posted on 08/15/2023 6:16:29 AM PDT by Red Badger

During an appearance on Fox Business this morning, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., was asked to respond to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's response yesterday when asked about the probe into the president’s son, Hunter Biden and the independence of the Justice Department — a main focus of the GOP as Trump faces mounting legal woes.

In a press briefing, Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked Jean-Pierre: “How can the White House assure people that the case involving the president’s son is being handled fairly?”

Jean-Pierre replied: “The Department of Justice is independent. That is what the President believes, he believes that this White House will not politicize the Department of Justice. This was done under the leadership of a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, as you all know. And so I’m just I’m not going to add anything else to that."

Asked to respond to Jean-Pierre’s remarks, Van Drew, a member of the House Judiciary Committee who served as a Democrat until 2020, said her comments are “absurd” and claimed that the DOJ has “protected” the president’s family.

“I mean, the Department of Justice has been showing and protecting the Biden family on the Bidens for years. ... I mean, literally every level of government, whether it’s the leadership in the IRS, whether it’s the Department of Justice, the FBI, all of them have been working in tandem, to protect this president and to hide the truth,” he said.

GOP presidential candidate Will Hurd took aim at Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 election in response to the former president’s fourth indictment.

“Another day, another indictment, and another example of how the former president’s baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the nominee,” he said in a statement. "This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power. He will use the latest indictment as another opportunity to manipulate Americans into paying his legal bills.”

Hurd, a former Texas representative, then called on the Republican Party to “move beyond dealing with the former president’s baggage.”

“The Republican Party needs a leader who isn’t afraid of bullies like Trump and who understands the complex issues facing our country — from complicated technologies that will affect our economy and global power structures that will determine our position in the world.”

Trump and top allies including his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and a top former Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, were indicted yesterday on felony charges in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

The sweeping 41-count indictment also names lawyers John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Ray Smith and several others. All were charged with violating Georgia’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) law.

In an indictment handed up to the judge around 9 p.m. ET and made public just before 11 p.m., Trump was charged with felony racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges, court filings show.

The racketeering charge carries a sentence of five to 20 years, while a conspiracy conviction can result in a minimum sentence of one year in prison with a variable maximum sentence.

Can tweeting be a crime? Willis explains what an 'overt act' means

Ginger Gibson

Charging someone under a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization or RICO law, requires a prosecutor to show a group, or enterprise, committed a pattern of crimes.

Georgia's RICO law, like the federal law, lists specific crimes that can qualify under the law, known as "predicate" acts.

In the indictment, prosecutors listed 161 acts that they argue prove that a violation of the RICO Act occurred. Among the acts include things like allegedly accessing Dominion Voting machines and influencing witnesses.

But some of the acts listed are simply posts Trump made on Twitter, like a Jan. 6, 2021, tweet pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to not certify the electoral count in Congress.

Can a tweet be a crime?

Willis answered the question during her remarks — talking about how the indictment included "overt acts," or actions that wouldn't be a crime on their own but might prove a larger pattern.

"Many occurred in Georgia and some occurred in other jurisdictions and are included because the grand jury believes they were part of the illegal effort to overturn the result of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election," Willis said.

In an email to supporters late Monday night, Trump encouraged his supporters to donate and show that they will "NEVER SURRENDER."

Trump's fundraising appeal claimed that "Deep State thugs" were attempting to "JAIL me for life."

Previous Trump indictments have led to similar fundraising emails for the Trump campaign. In the first week after Trump's initial indictment, in Manhattan, his campaign brought in $13.5 million in donations. The first seven days after the second indictment, in Florida, brought in $5.8 million.

However, the donations have been somewhat offset by the Trump's increasing legal bills.

Former President Donald Trump expressed outrage early Tuesday morning following his indictment in Georgia.

“So, the Witch Hunt continues!" Trump posted on his Truth Social account just before 1:30 a.m. ET.

"19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, 'I will get Trump'," Trump said, misspelling the word "indicted."

"Why didn’t they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!" he said in the post.

Trump's Georgia attorneys call indictment 'shocking' and 'absurd' Vaughn Hillyard and Monica Dunn

Trump's attorneys in Georgia blasted the indictment and the witnesses who testified before the Fulton County grand jury.

"The events that have unfolded today have been shocking and absurd," attorneys Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement where they also argued that the witnesses who testified before the grand jury were biased.

"This one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests — some of whom ran campaigns touting their efforts against the accused and/or profited from book deals and employment opportunities as a result," the attorneys said.

"We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Georgia
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1 posted on 08/15/2023 6:16:29 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Do you have Democrat friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives?

They support this.

Be sure to thank them.


2 posted on 08/15/2023 6:19:53 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
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To: Red Badger

Gotta give the dems credit. They are willing to do whatever it takes. Damn the consequences.


3 posted on 08/15/2023 6:21:06 AM PDT by hillarys cankles
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To: Red Badger

Our country is sooo screwed. Even a constitutional crisis will only bring more power to the marxist dems.


4 posted on 08/15/2023 6:21:52 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: Red Badger

Why can’t we have proper tyrants here in the US, like Benito Mussolini, Leopold II or Joseph Stalin. Look at the cool swag Muammar Gaddafi used to wear.

Our’s are all ugly, sub IQ and fat & have names like Fani.


5 posted on 08/15/2023 6:23:31 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: 1Old Pro

Our country is screwed because we are unwilling to fight for it.

They push us further and further everyday and we just take it and take it......

Ive come to the conclusion that I don’t think there is anything the dems can

do to us that would make us fight. Take our gun? Steal elections? Jail us

for “wrong think”?


6 posted on 08/15/2023 6:24:15 AM PDT by hillarys cankles
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To: Red Badger

Are the numbers the same as the ones Fani posted and remove before they voted ?


7 posted on 08/15/2023 6:24:47 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: butlerweave
Are the numbers the same as the ones Fani posted and remove before they voted ?

Now they are saying that the untimely release was a hack or a fraud. Yet it's eerily the same.

8 posted on 08/15/2023 6:27:06 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: Red Badger

There was another Fulton County grand jury looking into this last year. Whatever happened to their recommendations?


9 posted on 08/15/2023 6:28:49 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: Red Badger
Time to "Bud Light" the State of Georgia. It is my understanding (I am not a lawyer) that State Legislators and the Governor have tools to shutdown a rogue prosecutor. They made need a little incentive to force them to act.

This is such BS, I want to see a County AG from some small Red County in someplace like Montana or Wyoming charge the Biden family with RICO. Tax dollars from those States were used by Biden to bribe the Ukrainians to fire a prosecutor to protect the Biden money laundering rackets. Then hear the Libs scream bloody murder.

10 posted on 08/15/2023 6:30:31 AM PDT by OldGoatCPO (No Caitiff Choir of Angels will sing for me. )
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To: hillarys cankles

..as Ed McMahon used to say: “..You are CORRECT, sir!..”


11 posted on 08/15/2023 6:30:39 AM PDT by joethedrummer (We can't vote our way out of this, folks..)
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To: Red Badger
This is the filth that is going on in America!!

Presented to you by a Stalinist regime run by anti-American traitors! ...... imho

AND NO, I WILL NOT SHUT UP!

https://thefederalist.com/2023/08/15/how-stupid-is-the-georgia-anti-trump-case-they-indicted-trump-for-tweeting-at-people-to-watch-tv/

12 posted on 08/15/2023 6:36:28 AM PDT by high info voter (Delivery )
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To: Red Badger

Republicans and Independents need to wake up.

The leftists have a new weapon against any opposition candidates and voices [Internet, print media, broadcast media, etc.]

The more power the leftists wield, the more authoritarian they will become.


13 posted on 08/15/2023 6:41:35 AM PDT by TomGuy
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To: Red Badger; All

I don’t “watch” the news. Is this getting the 24/7 treating? To me, these stories barely register.


14 posted on 08/15/2023 7:04:34 AM PDT by wiseprince (Me)
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To: high info voter

WHO IS MORE STUPID?

THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OR THE 24 GRAND JURORS?....................


15 posted on 08/15/2023 7:05:14 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: wiseprince

It’s all Trump all the time on ABCNNBCBS.

Not a hint of scandal about Biden. Not one tiny little smidgen.................


16 posted on 08/15/2023 7:06:29 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: hillarys cankles

I always wondered how people of different countries “allowed” tyranny to take over. For most of my life I believed it wouldn’t happen here, because we’re Americans! We have the constitution!

Through our educational system we now have a whole generation that have been taught that our country and constitution is bad and racist. Religion has been replaced with climate change.
The covid lockdowns and tyranny cemented for them how much the people will buckle and give up our freedoms. Now it’s expected a climate change state of emergency will be declared.


17 posted on 08/15/2023 8:13:59 AM PDT by Rusty0604 (Despthaerately looking for new conspiracy theories as all the old ones have come true)
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To: OldGoatCPO

Isn’t the Georgia AG suspected of being in a relationship with a gangster?


18 posted on 08/15/2023 8:16:54 AM PDT by Rusty0604 (Despthaerately looking for new conspiracy theories as all the old ones have come true)
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To: blueunicorn6

It is never the outcome it’s always the process...
but this time they have f#$k with a true self made, independent fighter who has a $hit load of his own money and appears not afraid to use it against the Rich “North of Richmond”!!


19 posted on 08/15/2023 8:31:05 AM PDT by Big Bill in TN (Army Vet.here. I know how to fix stupid, but it will hurt!)
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To: Rusty0604
Trump made that claim she denied. Kemp and Rat$hitburger are piling on against Trump. Boycotting a State is harder than a company, but it can costs States hundreds of millions in revenue. If enough high visibility people call for the boycott, it could force Contemptible Kemp to act. According to what I read today, Trump may force this case out of GA and into Federal court. Dershowitz mentioned that yesterday and Meadows lawyers filed today for his to be moved to federal courts. According to the article once in Federal court, Trump and Meadows would have legal grounds to demand dismissal of the charges. I need more popcorn if this is true.
20 posted on 08/16/2023 6:47:10 AM PDT by OldGoatCPO (No Caitiff Choir of Angels will sing for me. )
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