Trump faces criminal charges in Georgia

Trump, currently leading the GOP presidential 2024 field, is facing 10 charges including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree.

On Monday, former President Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time. A Georgia grand jury sent down criminal charges against Trump related to his alleged actions to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump is facing 10 charges including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree. At the center of the charges is a call to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger declaring that he had won the state following the 2020 election and urging him to “find” votes to change the Georgia results.

The latest charges were led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The indictment names 19 defendants charged with racketeering along with 41 other counts spread across the 98-page filing.

“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,” the indictment said.

In addition to Trump, his former Chief Staff Mark Meadows and attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani were among the named defendants.

Trump and the other defendants have until August 25 to surrender to Georgia authorities. District Attorney Willis is seeking a trial within six months.

This is the fourth time this year the former President and current Republican presidential candidate for 2024 has faced charges. The first came in New York related to falsifying business records. The second, a federal charge, was handed down months later regarding his handling of classified documents. The third set of charges stem from the January 6, 2020, Capitol riot and his alleged election interference. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Trump is leading the 2024 Republican presidential field. The first round of GOP candidate debates is set for next week. However, it is unclear whether the former president will attend.