Trump indicted by Fulton County grand jury in Georgia on 41 counts of felony

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump woke up this morning to a rude shock hitting his campaign trail for 2024 presidential polls, as the Fulton County jury in Georgia dealt him a severe blow with 41 counts of felony, thus indicting him in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election verdict, charging him under the RICO act.

Trump had already been indicted by a federal jury here some days ago on four major counts of conspiracy to undermine the election process and suppress the voters' rights as part of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election verdict to let him stay in White House and keep Joe Biden out.

The Georgia grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump, charging him with felony, racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges as part of a sweeping investigation into the efforts by him and his allies to overturn the 2020 election verdict.

The 41-count indictment also names lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Ray Smith and several other people associated with Trump at that time in 2021, NBC reported.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had enlisted a special jury last year that heard testimonies from as many as 75 witnesses. Among the best known moments in Trump's pressure campaign against Georgia officials was a call in which he asked Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes he needed to beat Joe Biden.

DA Fani Willis said she wanted to take Trump to trial within the next six months, but other cases in the same jurisdiction that involved violations of the state's racketeering law have taken much longer to go to trial.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has reacted to last night's indictment with a brief statement early this morning: “The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don’t.”

Trump’s phone call to Raffensperger, a Republican, on January 2, 2021, to “find” the votes needed to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state is primary among the events listed in the new indictment. The former President stood by his stance saying the phone call was “perfect".

Jenna Ellis, among the group of Trump lawyers charged with violating Georgia’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act, accused Democrats and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of “criminalising the practice of law” the morning after Trump’s fourth indictment.

“The Democrats and the Fulton County DA are criminalising the practice of law,” she said in a tweet on X.

“I am resolved to trust the Lord and I will simply continue to honor, praise, and serve Him. I deeply appreciate all of my friends who have reached out offering encouragement and support.”