UCLA law professor Rick Hasan discusses the indictment of Donald Trump and 18 others for interfering in Georgia's 2020 election. They explore the challenges of prosecuting Trump, his history of attacking black women, and the potential implications for the 2024 elections. The podcast also dives into the significance of race in the Georgia case and Trump's continued efforts to support election fraud claims.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County DA, has indicted Donald Trump and 18 co-conspirators for engaging in a criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Georgia voters in the 2020 presidential election, demonstrating her independent and uncontrolled nature.
The comprehensive and audacious 90-plus page indictment against Donald Trump and his co-conspirators outlines a plan to steal the 2020 election, implicating multiple individuals and highlighting their roles within a common criminal enterprise.
Deep dives
Fulton County DA charges Donald Trump and co-conspirators with election tampering
Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis announced the indictment of Donald Trump and 18 co-conspirators for engaging in a criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Georgia voters in the 2020 presidential election. The indictment alleges that instead of following the legal process for election challenges, the defendants participated in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn the election result. The 11th Rico indictment by the DA highlights the independent nature of Fannie Willis, who cannot be controlled by anyone, including the former president. Trump has been charged four times in less than five months, but this case is considered different due to the comprehensive allegations and multiple co-conspirators involved.
The comprehensive nature of the Georgia indictment and key defendants
The Georgia indictment against Donald Trump involves 18 indicted co-conspirators and 30 unnamed unindicted co-conspirators. The 90-plus page indictment lays out a plan to steal the 2020 election, focusing on actions within Georgia but also highlighting national implications. Key defendants include Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, and individuals involved in the fake electors scheme. The indictment aims to present a robust and audacious description of the attempt to subvert the election outcome, implicating multiple individuals and highlighting their roles within a common criminal enterprise.
Understanding the Rico violation charge and the challenges of prosecution
Donald Trump has been charged with 13 counts, including a Rico violation. The Rico charge is based on the claim of an organized criminal conspiracy involving multiple defendants acting together as a team to attempt to steal the election. Convictions may not be uniform as the interests of the defendants may differ, and some may point fingers at each other as part of their defense. Fulton County DA Fannie Willis plans to try all 19 defendants together, but logistical challenges, including courtroom space, pretrial motions, discovery, and coordinating witnesses, may require separate trials in the future. Time is a significant factor, as delaying tactics could impede resolving the case before the 2024 elections.
The fourth shoe dropped this week, when Fulton County DA Fani Willis announced Donald Trump’s latest indictment, charging the former president, along with 18 others, for engaging in a sprawling criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Georgia voters. Trump has been responding by lashing out against Willis and voters in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.
Guest: Rick Hasen, professor of law at UCLA and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project.
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