Fourth indictment of donald trump. The former president and 18 others are now facing Racketeering Charges in georgias 2020 election case. We will have indepth analysis on the sprawling indictment straight ahead. Meanwhile, donald trump is once again using his legal troubles to raise money from his supporters. Well have more on that and his response to the historic charges. Plus the reaction from both sides of the aisle here in washington. Not surprisingly the majority of the Republican Party is showing no signs of moving away from donald trump. Good morning, and welcome to Way Too Early on this tuesday, august 15th, a historic morning. Im jonathan lemire. Thanks for starting your day with us. We will get right to the extraordinary headline. For the fourth time in as many months donald j. Trump, the former president of the United States, is facing another criminal indictment. The latest charges came late last night from Fulton County, georgia, where trump is 18 others were named in a sweeping 41count indictment targeting alleged attempts to overturn georgias 2020 election results. For the second time in the past two weeks that trump has been charged in trying to interfere in a fair and free election. Fulton County District attorney fani willis announced the charges just before midnight. Every individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating georgias racketeer, influenced, and corrupt organizations act through participation in a Criminal Enterprise in Fulton County, georgia, and elsewhere to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing donald j. Trump to seize the president ial term of Office Beginning on january 20, 2021. I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law. The law is completely nonpartisan. Thats how decisions are made in every case. To date this office has indicted sibs ive been sitting as a District Over 12,000 cases. This is another rico indictment. We follow the same process. We look at the facts, we look at the law, and we bring charges. The indictment charged under georgias antiracketeering law, accusing the former president and his allies of running a criminal organization. They, quote, knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of trump. The District Attorney said she would give all defendants until august 25th to turn themselves in and would push to go to trial within six months, which of course would place us right in the heart of the republican president ial primary season. Trump has denied all the charges against him claiming theyre part of a politically motivated witch hunt intending to keep hem from being reelected again. The indictment charges trump with 13 Felony Counts. They are in violation of the georgia racketeering, influence, and corrupt organizations act which is known as rico. Three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer. Two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements in writings. Two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree. Two counts of false statements in writings. Conspiracy to commit Impurse Impurseinating A Public officer, conspiracy to create false documents and filing false documents. An indictment breathtaking. In addition to the former president many of his allies seen and around georgia after the 2020 election were also charged with various crimes including trumps former personal attorneys, rudy giuliani, and john eastman. What a fall off for giuliani once known as americas mayor. Other charges including former white house Chief Of Staff mark meadows, former Just Department official jeffrey clark, former Trump Campaign attorney, Kenneth Chesebro and former members trumps 2020 legal team. Giuliani, eastman, clark, chesebro and powell are Caulous Coconspirators listed in the federal indictment of trump in that 2020 election case. Now, the Solicitation Charges against trump and Meadows Center around this phone call, the infamous call from january 2, 2021, where the former president pressured the georgia Secretary Of State to find the exact number of votes to overturn his election loss. I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, i need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. Look, all i want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state. Theres nothing wrong with saying that, you know that youve recalculated. Trump deemed that a perfect call. Well, hes now charged for making numerous false statements on that call. They include claims that thousands of dead people voted in georgia, that hundreds of thousands of ballots were mysteriously dropped overnight, and that thousands of people were told ballots were already cast in their names. And joining us now one of busiest men in journalism this week political reporter for the Atlanta Journal constitution greg bluestein. Lets start with the biggest takes aways from the inkiemt. You hit the tip of the iceberg there. Theres so many different charges in that sweeping indictment that involves so many different people. Theres so many blank faces and were talking utbig names like rudy giuliani, john eastman, and marbling meadows. Folks that even people in republican circles in georgia hardly heard of like Harrison Ford or misty hampton. And this shows you how sweeping that indictment was, they werent on two many peoples boards of potential suspects or potential criminal targets but now theyre front and center in these charges. My initial reaction was when i saw the entire indictment was fani willis is going big. This is an indictment that stretches far and wide, mentions a number of Battleground States beyond georgia. And of course theres 41 charges over 98 pages. Its extraordinary extraordinary in its scope. Tell us a little bit about the racketeering law, which of course rico charge in georgia has caught. That is the headline for so many of criminal conspiracy. Tell us a little bit more what this actually means as this Case Proceeds . Yeah, the rico charge is modelled after a federal rico charge. It gives prosecutors here in georgia more leeway to charge suspects with criminal Racketeering Charges. Of course, its thought just for organized crime. Its been used in georgia in street gangs. Its being used in multiple cases right now involving gangs and other groups. Its been used by fani willis about a decade ago to bring charges against Atlanta Public School chooting scandal in school administrators. So this is a prosecutor in fani willis weve seen is an expert in bringing rico charges, and shes hired other experts to help bring this case against donald trump. What we see is prosecutors alleging a Criminal Enterprise. And not just charges but a Criminal Enterprise against donald trump and his 18 codefendants. And of course trump tried to interfere with the result of georgia because it was a battleground state, because it was so close. We have every expectation it will be again in 2024. Talk to us about the political fallout, greg . Some of the members of the Republican State Party stood up against trump in 2020 and had opposed him since, but he is at this moment anyway far away the favorite to be the gop nominee, and georgias going to be hotly contested again. Whats it going to look like in the wake of this, as this trial plays out potentially . Yeah, the trial could begin in six months if fani willis has her way in the middle of the primary season and so right in the middle of that primary runoff, we could see this trial. Georgia is a must win state. Chris christie and other republicans have said it over and over again, governor brian kemp, republicans cant win the white house without winning georgia. Theres still a path for democrats if georgia goes in the red column, but its really hard to see a path if georgia goes blue, and donald trump has his struggles here, right . Weve seen in 2021 and 2022 with the Senate Runoff and president ial race in the midterms, theres a significant block of Middle Of The Road swing voters who can decide an election in 2020, help decide an election for Joe Biden In Georgia and for Rafael Warnock in 2021 and 2022 we saw a ticket. We saw herschel walker, the trump endorsed Football Star Running for u. S. Senate and fall to Rafael Warnock. If trumps on the ticket next year that President Bidens got a good shot at again and ends up somehow being not trump. Greg, lastly and quickly, you mention the d. A. Wants to do this in six months. Just people you talk to how realistic is that it can move that quickly . Were going to start seeing motions from Donald Trumps legal team almost immediately trying to delay that process and trying to move it to federal court. So it might not be realistic, but you never know, well see. So many other trials are already on the schedule over the next few months, so donald trump has got his work cut out for him. Well be really seeing a future where donald trump is shuttling from courthouse to rally site to courthouse, extraordinary moment. Weve certainly never been here before. Political reporter for the Atlanta Journal, well talk to you again later on morning joe. Still ahead here on Way Too Early we have much, much more on this latest indictment of donald trump. Well take a look at some of the charges that relate to two Fulton CountyElection Workers who became the subject of protrump Conspiracy Theories. Plus what former Secretary Of StateHillary Clinton is saying about the case and Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. E weather when we come right back. Mlb chooses tmobile for business for 5g solutions. To not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. Nows the time to see what americas largest 5g network can do for your business. You know that feeling of having to rewash dishes that didnt get clean . I dont. New cascade Platinum Plus has me doing dishes. Differently. Scrub . Soak . Nope. I just scrape, load and im done. Only Platinum Plus is bigger. With double The Dawn Grease Fighting power and double the scrubbing power. For a no rewash clean. And a cabinet ready shine. Rewash . Not in my house. 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Youll recall that she is the Fulton CountyElections Worker who became the subject of protrump Conspiracy Theories after the 2020 election. I wrote about her case in my book the big lie out last year. The new indictment accuses some in trumps orbit of criminal attempts to influence a witness and conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and repeatedly calling, texas, and visiting her home after the election. Freedman testified before the house january 6th Committee Last year along with her daughter, shea moss, but they lost all sense of safety after former President Trump, rudy giuliani, and others publicly accused them of tampering with votes in georgia. Now, i wont even introduce myself by my name anymore. I get nervous when i bump into someone i know in the Grocery Store who says my name. Im worried about whos listening. I get nervous when i have to give my name for food orders. Im always concerned whos around me. Ive lost my name, and ive lost my reputation. Ive lost my sense of security. A lot of threats, wishing death upon me, telling me that ill be in jail with my mother and saying things like be glad its 2020 and not 1920. A lot of these threats and vile comments racist in nature . A lot of them were racist. A lot of them were just hateful. Both women we should underscore were officially cleared of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trumps 2016 opponent was on before the indictment came out. She was asked about the georgia case and trumps efforts to overturn the election, something that she warned years ago that he might try during their race in 2016. Well, its hard to believe. I dont feel any satisfaction. I feel great, you know, just great profound sadness that we have a former president who had been indicted for so many charges that went right to the heart of whether or not our democracy would survive. He setout to defraud the United States of america and the citizens of our nation. He used tactics of harassment, intimidation. He made threats, he and his allies, went after state officials, local officials responsible for conducting elections. The only satisfaction may be that the system is working, that all the efforts by donald trump, his allies, his enablers to try to silence the truth, to undermine democracy, have been brought into the light and justice is being pursued. Still ahead here on Way Too Early, well have the latest on the search for victims in the deadly Maui Wildfire and the efforts to get critical aid to the survivors. Well have that and much more on the indictment of donald trump in georgia and a check on the weather when we come right back. Weatr hewhen we come right back. , and mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. Boost® high protein. 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