Fani Willis’ latest moves strongly indicate a Trump indictment in Georgia is coming this summer

19 May 2023

Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, who has been conducting a criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump's post-2020 election activities in her state, has yet to formally announce any type of indictment. It's still possible that Willis will decide against a prosecution.

But according to May 19 reporting in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and The Hill, Willis' recent actions indicate that the Georgia prosecutor is getting ready to move forward with an indictment this summer.

The Hill's Zach Schonfeld reports that Willis has "asked judges in the Georgia county not to schedule trials and in-person hearings in roughly the first half of August — a signal she may bring charges against former President Trump during that time."

According to Schonfeld, "Willis also indicated about 70 percent of her staff will work remotely on various days in August, according to a letter sent Thursday, (May 18) to local judges, law enforcement officials and elected officials…. She also noted that few in-person proceedings will be held the week of July 31, because most judges will be attending the state's annual judicial conference."

Schonfeld adds, "Willis gave no reason for the request but concluded the letter by thanking the recipients for their assistance in keeping the county's judicial complex 'safe during this time.'"

Reporting in AJC, journalists Tamar Hallerman and Bill Rankin describe Willis' May 18 letter to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville as "yet another strong signal that the DA is planning to seek charges against major players who aggressively questioned Georgia's 2020 election results, including Trump."

The Journal-Constitution reporters note, "The DA has spent more than two years examining whether the former president and his allies broke any Georgia laws when they pressed state officials to 'find' votes and call for a special legislative session to reverse Democrat Joe Biden's narrow win. Also under investigation: the appointment of a slate of 'alternate' GOP electors, the accessing of sensitive election data in Coffee County; and attempts to pressure a Fulton County poll worker, among other events between November 2020 and January 2021."

If a criminal indictment of Trump from Willis' office does come down this summer, it will be separate from the 34-count prosecution he is facing from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. Trump is also facing two separate federal criminal investigations being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and special counsel Jack Smith — one related to government documents being stored at Mar-a-Lago, the other pertaining to the January 6, 2021 insurrection and Trump's activities following the 2020 presidential election.

Despite all that, Trump is the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Never before in U.S. history has an ex-president faced multiple criminal probes and a 34-count indictment while running a presidential campaign — and having what, according to polls released in May, appears to be a clear advantage over fellow Republicans.

According to hypothetical primary matchups between Trump and Ron DeSantis, Trump leads the Florida governor by 45 percent (Rasmussen), 28 percent (Reuters/Ipsos) or 38 percent (I&I/TIPP).

Those matchups may not be hypothetical much longer. On May 18, the Washington Post reported that DeSantis, according to sources, planned to "officially enter the 2024 presidential race" the following week. And that same day, the Wall Street Journal also reported that DeSantis was getting ready to "officially enter the race for president next week" and launch a "fundraising blitz," according to "people familiar with the decision."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's full report is available at this link.

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