Former President Donald Trump Indicted for Alleged Election Interference in Georgia; 2024 Presidential Aspirations at Stake

Former United States President Donald Trump has been indicted for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in the state of Georgia, which current President Joe Biden won. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis began her investigation into the case shortly after the release of a recording on January 2, 2021, in which Trump suggests Georgia’s top election official should “find 11,780 votes so he could overtake Biden and win the state."

The 98-page indictment lists 19 defendants, including Trump, his White House chief-of-staff Mark Meadows, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and attorney John Eastman. This marks the fourth criminal case filed against the former president, with others including a federal indictment and a New York case involving hush money paid to an adult film star. Trump's attorney could ask the court to waive the arraignment, allowing him to enter a plea of not guilty without appearing in court.

However, legal experts anticipate that Trump may attempt to challenge the prosecution by claiming political bias, and may even try to move the trial out of Fulton County to a location where he believes the jury pool would be less biased against him. If the case goes to trial, the process of selecting an impartial jury could be lengthy, and to convict, all 12 jurors would need to agree beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump is guilty. If the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, a mistrial may be declared. Despite potential delays in the trial process, Trump's indictment could have implications for his aspirations to run in the 2024 presidential election.