Current:Home > ScamsAtlanta begins to brace for the potential of a new Trump indictment as soon as next week -TradeGrid
Atlanta begins to brace for the potential of a new Trump indictment as soon as next week
View
Date:2025-04-24 23:16:22
ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump and officials in Atlanta are bracing for a new indictment that could come as soon as next week in a Georgia prosecutor’s investigation into the former president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has said he’s in meetings “every day” to prepare for a possible indictment. In anticipation of potential charges, his deputies erected barriers last week along the block in front of the main courthouse. The street was closed this week, and parking is prohibited on nearby streets. Those measures are to remain in place through the end of next week, Labat’s office said.
Trump has said he expects to be indicted a fourth time by next week and has begun stepping up his criticism of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has spent two years leading the election probe into Trump and his allies. Speaking to supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Republican former president launched highly personal attacks on Willis and called the 52-year-old Democratic prosecutor, who is Black, “a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta.”
“She’s got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try to run for some other office,” Trump said.
A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment on Trump’s criticism. Her office hasn’t said whether charges against Trump will come next week.
Willis told law enforcement and local government leaders in a letter in April that she expected to announce charging decisions by the end of the current court term, which ends Sept. 1. She advised law enforcement to prepare for “heightened security,” noting that the announcement of charges “may provoke a significant public reaction.”
A few weeks later, she seemed to narrow that window further in a letter to the chief judge of the county superior court. She indicated that she planned to have much of her staff work remotely for most days during the first three weeks of August and asked that judges not schedule trials and in-person hearings during part of that time, notably on the days when grand juries meet.
Two grand juries were seated last month to serve through the end of the court term, one meeting Mondays and Tuesdays and the other meeting Thursdays and Fridays. Both of those grand juries have been regularly churning out lots of indictments in criminal cases unrelated to Trump, meaning it’s unlikely they’ve had time to hear evidence in the election investigation.
With the window Willis indicated to the chief judge closing Aug. 18 and the sheriff’s traffic restrictions set to end at the same time, it seems a good bet that an indictment will come next week.
If an indictment charges Trump, it would be the fourth to do so this year and the second to focus on the former president’s efforts to overturn his presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
The U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month obtained a four-count indictment in Washington that focuses on Trump’s efforts in the months between the November 2020 presidential election and the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to subvert the vote and remain in power.
That was the second indictment sought against Trump by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. A federal grand jury in Florida in June returned an indictment alleging the mishandling of classified documents.
And a New York grand jury indicted Trump in March, charging him with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all three cases and has relentlessly rained criticism on the prosecutors in speeches and online, accusing them of launching politically motivated attacks against the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
The Georgia investigation was prompted by a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican. Trump suggested the state’s top elections official could help “find 11,780 votes” needed to put him ahead of Biden in the state.
Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong and has repeatedly said the call was “perfect.”
veryGood! (21)
Related
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Sherpa Kami Rita reaches summit of Mount Everest for record 30th time and second this month
- Precious Moments creator Sam Butcher dies at 85 surrounded by loved ones
- Donald Trump may be stuck in a Manhattan courtroom, but he knows his fave legal analysts
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- 5 shot, 2 killed at linen company in Chester, Pennsylvania: Live updates
- Study says more Americans smoke marijuana daily than drink alcohol
- Hosting This Summer? You Need To See These Stylish Patio Furniture Finds & Get Your Backyard Summer-Ready
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Notorious serial killer who murdered over 20 women assaulted in prison, in life-threatening condition
Ranking
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Are you worried about the high prices we're paying? Biden’s tariffs will make it worse.
- California advances legislation cracking down on stolen goods resellers and auto theft
- Khloe Kardashian Unveils “Strawberry Shortcake” Hair Transformation
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Bud Anderson, last surviving World War II triple ace pilot, dies at 102
- Nikki Haley says she will vote for Donald Trump following their disputes during Republican primary
- One Tree Hill's James Lafferty Reveals How His Wife Alexandra Feels About Show's Intense Fans
Recommendation
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
NBA legend John Stockton has COVID-related 'free speech' lawsuit thrown out by judge
Atlantic City casino profits declined by nearly 10% in first quarter of 2024
5 shot, 2 killed at linen company in Chester, Pennsylvania: Live updates
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Sky's Kamilla Cardoso eyes return against Caitlin Clark, Fever on June 1
Georgia, Ohio State lead college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after spring practice
Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Big Freedia accused of copyright infringement over 'Break My Soul' lyric