Trump indicted for the fourth time as he leads 2024 primary field
Donald Trump, who has now been indicted four times this year, is the first former president in United States history to face criminal charges—all while he leads in the polls for his 2024 White House re-election.
Donald Trump, has now been indicted four times this year, all while he leads in the polls for his 2024 White House re-election.
Trump, the current 2024 GOP front-runner, was indicted on Tuesday with state charges out of Georgia’s Fulton County.
Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeff Clark, John Eastman, and others, were also charged out of the years-long investigation.
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The charges include violating the Georgia RICO Act—the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Filing False Documents; and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.
Georgia Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis gave Trump and the 18 other dependents until Aug. 25 to surrender. Willis, Monday night during a press conference, said she would like a trial to take place within six months.
Trump was first charged in March out of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s years-long investigation related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Bragg alleged that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."
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Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.
In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.
Those charges from Bragg came amid Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla.
Months later, on June 8, Trump, for the first time, was indicted on federal criminal charges out of that classified records investigation.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges out of that probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.
Last month, on July 27, Trump was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation—an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts.
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Trump aide and valet Waltine Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliviera were also charged out of Smith’s probe.
Smith was also investigating whether Trump was involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.
On August 1, Trump was indicted on four federal charges out of Smith’s Jan. 6 probe.
Trump pleaded to all charges, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct and official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.
Trump allies, though, have pointed out the timing of the indictments, highlighting that the charges against the former president have all come just after some sort of critical news or developments out of the federal investigation into Hunter Biden and congressional investigations into the Biden family's business dealings.
On June 8, Fox News Digital reported exclusively on details contained in a classified FBI-generated FD-1023 form alleging that Joe Biden, while serving as vice president, was paid $5 million by an executive of the Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, where his son Hunter Biden sat on the board.
Hours later, Smith indicted Trump with charges related to the classified records probe.
On July 26, Hunter Biden was forced to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor tax charges and a federal felony gun charge, after his plea deal fell apart. A day later, Trump was charged in Smith's superseding indictment.
On July 31, the House Oversight Committee heard testimony from Hunter Biden's ex-business associate Devon Archer. Archer testified that Joe Biden was on calls with Hunter's foreign business partners at least 20 times, despite Biden repeatedly saying he was never involved in his son's business dealings.
Trump was indicted on Aug. 1 out of Smith's Jan. 6 investigation.
"When Biden corruption is exposed, the government targets Trump," the Trump team said. "This is the Biden playbook."
Meanwhile, the latest polls show Trump leading the crowded 2024 GOP primary field. The RealClearPolitics average has Trump leading the GOP primary field by 39.7 points, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second place.
In a head-to-head between Trump and Biden, the RCP average has Biden at 44.8 percent and Trump at 44.1 percent.
"This politically-inspired indictment, which could have been brought close to three years ago, was tailored for placement right smack in the middle of my political campaign, where I am leading all Republicans—by a lot—and beating Joe Biden soundly in almost all polls," Trump told Fox News Digital.
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