(WASHINGTON) — Normally, four-time indicted politicians would have their presidential ambitions dashed, not boosted. But former President Donald Trump is no traditional politician — and rival campaigns are making their peace with that.
Conversations with a half-dozen Republican operatives working with rival campaigns showed they didn’t expect Trump to take any substantial hit in the primaries from Monday night’s bombshell indictment in Georgia, throwing their hands up in the air as they scramble to find an argument that could do what four indictments, two impeachments, electoral disappointments and an insurrection have failed to do — dent Trump’s status as de facto GOP leader.
“Trump will see a significant fundraising bump,” conceded one strategist working on a rival campaign who, like others, spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity. “While more money will be coming in, more of it will pour into his legal fees. More pertinent to the election, with every indictment, his legal situation becomes more perilous, while at the same time further solidifying his guarantee of clinching the nomination.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ sprawling indictment — which hits Trump and 18 co-defendants with charges as part of an alleged criminal conspiracy — marks the latest and most expansive legal challenge Trump faces to date. Willis’ reliance on racketeering charges under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act means that she will have powers that broadly mirror those afforded under the federal RICO Act with notable changes that broaden state prosecutors’ ability to charge defendants, according to multiple legal experts who spoke with ABC News. The fact that they are state charges would mean Trump couldn’t pardon himself if he won another term.
The Monday indictment brings the total charges Trump is facing from all four cases up to 91 — but Republicans actively working to keep Trump from winning the nomination appeared to be talking about a runaway train, referencing the gains the former president enjoyed after previous indictments.
When asked whether there’s anything any candidate can do to gain the massive amount of ground needed to leapfrog Trump in primary polls, another GOP operative backing a rival replied, “I don’t think so.”
“This presidential primary is controlled by Trump’s actions, and it’s clearly highlighted by the response to all these indictments,” the person said.
Other strategists were less convinced that Trump would be able to defy political gravity forever, forecasting that the accumulation of the indictments would ultimately hurt him. But they didn’t indicate that other candidates could expedite that fall back to earth or whether it would happen before the primaries are over.
“This will be the same as the other indictments regarding the politics, meaning a polling and fundraising plus. But this one seems more ominous on the legal jeopardy front. I am worried that this one might be the one that really hurts” in the general, said one lobbyist backing a Trump rival.
“I don’t know that the fourth one will change the dynamics since Trump has pretty skillfully tried to play the victim really well and turned this into something that galvanizes his supporters,” added Mike DuHaime, an adviser to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. “All this is gonna continue to weigh him down. He’s been pretty skillful to this point, but I do think the weight will eventually get to him. Hopefully for the party, it happens before the primary, not after.”
Outside GOP strategists suggested a fruitful avenue for Trump’s primary opponents would be to elevate concerns over whether the indictments impact Trump’s electability in a general election rather than the merits of any indictment itself.
“I do think they need to find ways to talk more about the fact that Trump’s unelectable and that it’s a risk,” said GOP strategist Rob Stutzman, who said Republican messaging on electability has been inconsistent.
However, Stutzman said it is difficult to message against Trump, who maintains his vicelike grip on broad swaths of the GOP primary electorate that bristle when he comes under attack.
“I think they’ll they’re going to wait until they see focus groups and polling that suggest there’s a way to talk to voters about it,” he told ABC News.
“Talking heads on cable TV sanctimoniously wagging fingers at candidates that they need to be taking a stand, well, it’s easy for them to do,” he added. “I mean, these candidates are trying to get elected. At the end of the day, they’re reflecting the Republican electorate, not leading the Republican electorate anywhere. And you have to give them some time and space to maneuver through this.”
Yet even if other candidates land on a messaging strategy that could hypothetically pierce Trump’s armor, it’s unclear whether that message could even get through.
No matter how many are announced, Trump’s indictments draw eyeballs, and news outlets have provided extensive coverage, including in some cases wall-to-wall airtime of Trump’s motorcades arriving to and departing from airports and courthouses on days when he stands before a judge. And with no other candidate in the race boasting the platform that Trump does, getting the same attention as the former president is an inordinately difficult task.
“That is a huge dilemma,” veteran New Hampshire-based GOP strategist Dave Carney told ABC News. “Who the hell’s gonna listen? Because you and your cohorts are going to talk about Trump forever until he’s either guilty in jail or is free.”
Carney said the deluge of coverage of Trump’s legal woes puts an even higher premium on candidates pressing the flesh in states like Iowa and New Hampshire — though even that may not be a panacea for rival candidates’ struggles to break through.
“I’m sure a lot of bourbon has been drunk around the bars, all talking about what the f— to do,” Carney said.
ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Democrats took a victory lap Wednesday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act into law, the legislation they hope will help propel them to victory in 2024.
Elsewhere, former Vice President Mike Pence knocked his old boss and current 2024 primary front-runner — former President Donald Trump — over Trump’s unfounded claims that election fraud cost him victory in Georgia in 2020.
Here’s what to know from the trail on Wednesday.
Happy anniversary
Democrats gathered at the White House Wednesday to promote the one-year anniversary of President Joe Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act into law.
The celebration was part of a broader blitz over “Bidenomics,” Democrats’ name for the economic policy pushed by the White House that the party insists is responsible for ameliorating families’ fiscal health.
At the jamboree, Biden dubbed the $740 billion climate, health and tax bill as one of the “most significant laws” ever enacted.
“Taking on the special interests and winning,” Biden said. “Delivering on promises that have long been made to the American people to lower cost for families, especially health care costs; increase America’s energy security; restore fairness to a tax code; create good paying jobs here in America; and to address the potential threat of climate crisis.”
“Bidenomics is anchored in what’s always worked best for the country, investing in America, investing in Americans,” he added. “Because when we invest in ourselves, when we strengthen the middle class, we see stronger economic growth that benefits everybody.”
Not everyone was on board, though.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., an architect of the bill, stayed away from the celebration and panned its implementation as he tries to separate himself from the party ahead of a possible bruising reelection effort in ruby red West Virginia.
“With respect to energy security, and contrary to those in the Biden Administration who seek to undermine this goal, this law re-established an all-of-the-above energy policy and empowered the growth of fossil fuels and renewables. If implemented as designed the IRA will ensure that all Americans have more reliable and more affordable power for years to come,” he said in a statement.
Continued split over 2020 election
Pence on Wednesday gave a full-throated rebuttal of Trump’s claims that election fraud robbed him of victory in Georgia three years ago.
Trump has reiterated his baseless allegations after he and 18 others were charged in a sprawling indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over efforts to have his loss overturned. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
“[W]ith respect to what the former president and his allies have said for now more than two-and-a-half years, and continue to insist at this very hour: The Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election on Jan. 6,” Pence told a group of Republican state lawmakers at the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit in Indianapolis.
Pence has repeatedly said he had now power to overturn the 2020 election results and that Trump was wrong to think he could, though the former vice president remains mired in the single digits in national and statewide polling, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Rival campaigns throw their hands in the air
Speaking of Trump’s latest indictment, rival campaigns are making their peace that it will likely do little, if anything, to dent his primary support.
Trump has seen fundraising and polling bumps after his three previous indictments, and conversations with a half-dozen strategists working on rival Republican presidential campaigns suggested nobody’s holding their breath for the fourth time to bring Trump back down to earth.
“Trump will see a significant fundraising bump,” said one strategist working on a rival campaign. “While more money will be coming in, more of it will pour into his legal fees. More pertinent to the election, with every indictment, his legal situation becomes more perilous, while at the same time further solidifying his guarantee of clinching the nomination.”
(WASHINGTON) — On the first anniversary of his “Inflation Reduction Act” becoming law, President Joe Biden took a victory lap that was likely a preview of his campaign’s message over the next year.
At a celebration in the White House East Room, Biden branded the $740 billion climate, health and tax bill as one of the “most significant laws” ever enacted.
“Taking on the special interests and winning,” the president said. “Delivering on promises that have long been made to the American people to lower cost for families, especially health care costs; increase America’s energy security; restore fairness to a tax code; create good paying jobs here in America; and to address the potential threat of climate crisis.”
Surrounded by people who the White House said had benefited from the law, Biden gave a speech that capped a recent multi-state blitz and reflected his campaign strategy heading into 2024: persuade voters that positive broader economic trends are actually helping them on an individual level — and take credit for it.
The White House has politically branded the approach “Bidenomics” but Biden mentioned the message just once.
“‘Bidenomics’ is anchored in what’s always worked best for the country, investing in America, investing in Americans,” he said. “Because when we invest in ourselves, when we strengthen the middle class, we see stronger economic growth that benefits everybody.”
He repeatedly focused on job creation during his administration, noting the historically low unemployment rate – which Democrats hope will help them in next year’s election.
“I’ve long said, when I think climate – not a joke – I think jobs, I think jobs,” he said.
He took a shot at congressional Republicans and GOP presidential candidates who regularly blast his handling of the economy.
“And all we hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle is what they claim is what’s wrong with America. Let me tell you and let me tell you, they’re telling us America is failing — failing. They’re dead wrong. They’re dead wrong. America isn’t failing, America is winning,” he said.
Despite several positive economic indicators, polls have shown Biden continues to be marred by low approval numbers on the issue. One poll conducted earlier this year by ABC News and the Washington Post found Americans 54-36% said former President Donald Trump did a better job handling the economy when he was in office than Biden’s done so far.
At the White House Wednesday to help sell the Inflation Reduction Act were former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who ushered it through the Democrat-led Congress last year.
“This is such a remarkable accomplishment for our country,” Pelosi said in brief remarks, in which she told Biden: “Mr. President, this is your day.”
Biden, who said Republicans were focused on what’s wrong with America,” swiped at the party for unanimously voting against the legislation.
“This law is transformative and it fell entirely to Democrats to deliver it,” he said.
Republicans, who have made inflation a key attack against Biden, have criticized the Inflation Reduction Act as prices continue to be higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Biden recently expressed regret for the title of the law during a campaign fundraiser.
“I wish I hadn’t called it that,” Biden said at the Aug. 10 event, according to pool reporters. “It has less to do with inflation than it does providing alternatives to economic growth.”
Biden on Wednesday continued to argue the Inflation Reduction Act has led to a manufacturing boom that will bring more union jobs back to the U.S.
“Our economy stronger and better than any industrial nation in the world right now. But we have more work to do,” Biden said. “We have a plan that’s turning things around. The Inflation Reduction Act is a part of that plan. Bidenomics is just another way of saying restoring the American dream.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
(ATLANTA) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed a March start date for the trial of former President Donald Trump and 18 others on charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The proposed pretrial scheduling order, filed on Wednesday, proposes a start date of March 4.
The date is one day before Super Tuesday in the 2024 presidential race, as Trump seeks a return to the White House.
The proposed trial date also potentially conflicts with Trump’s trial in New York on charges of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election.
That trial is currently scheduled to begin March 25. A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office told ABC News they would not comment on another jurisdiction’s request.
Willis, in Wednesday’s filing, also suggested that arraignment in the case take place “for the various defendants” three weeks from now, during the week of Sept. 5.
“In light of the Defendant Donald John Trump’s other criminal and civil matters pending in the courts of our sister sovereigns, the State of Georgia proposes certain deadlines that do not conflict with these other courts’ already scheduled hearings and trial dates,” the filing states.
Trump and 18 others were charged Monday in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results. The former president says his actions were not illegal and that the investigation is politically motivated.
The indictment is the fourth for the former president, who — in addition to the Manhattan DA’s hush money case — also faces federal charges in the special counsel’s Jan. 6 and classified documents probes. He has pleaded not guilty in all four cases.
Prior to Trump, no former or current president had ever been indicted.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
(ATLANTA) — Former President Donald Trump and 18 others were charged Monday in a sweeping racketeering indictment related to efforts to overturn 2020 election results in Georgia.
The indictment alleges that Trump and the other defendants “refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.”
Here’s a look at each of the defendants, the charges they face and how prosecutors say they participated in the alleged scheme.
1. Donald Trump (13 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; two counts of false statements and writings; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents; one count of filing false documents and conspiracy to commit to impersonating a public officer
Among the charges, the indictment states that Trump “falsely declared victory” in the 2020 presidential election during a nationally televised speech on Nov. 4, 2020, and that the speech was “an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
The indictment also cites the phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, stating that Trump is charged with unlawfully soliciting Raffensperger “to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense” of his oath as a public officer by “unlawfully influencing” the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Trump’s campaign called the indictment “un-American and wrong” in a statement early Tuesday. The former president contends his actions were not illegal and the investigation is politically motivated.
2. Rudy Giuliani (13 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer; three counts of false statements and writing; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; one count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents
According to prosecutors in Fulton County, one-time Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani aided Trump in perpetrating a sweeping effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, including by making false statements to state election officials and contributing to the harassment of two election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
Responding to the indictment, Giuliani said it was “an affront to American Democracy and does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system.”
3. John Eastman (9 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; one count of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents; one count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; one count of filing false documents
The indictment names former Trump election lawyer John Eastman among those allegedly involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors.
Eastman’s attorney called the indictment a political move n a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“Lawyers everywhere should be sleepless over this latest stunt to criminalize their advocacy,” Eastman’s attorney, Harvey Silverglate, said in the statement. “This is a legal cluster bomb that leaves unexploded ordinances for lawyers to navigate in perpetuity.”
4. Mark Meadows (2 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; one count of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer
Among the actions attributed to Trump’s former chief of staff, on Dec. 22, 2020, Mark Meadows traveled to Cobb County Center and “attempted to observe the signature match audit being performed by law enforcement officers and officials from the Georgia Secretary of State despite the fact that the process was not open to the public,” the indictment stated. The officials prevented Meadows from entering the space where the audit was being conducted, according to the indictment.
A day later, Trump placed a call to the office of the Georgia Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson that had been arranged by Meadows, during which Trump falsely stated he had won the 2020 election by “hundreds of thousands of votes,” according to the indictment.
Meadows then sent a text message to a state investigator on Dec. 27, 2020, asking if there was a way to “speed up” results ahead of Jan. 6, “an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,” according to the indictment.
The indictment also identifies Meadows as being on Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, call to Raffensperger.
In a motion filed Tuesday seeking to move the case to federal court, Meadows’ attorney, George Terwilliger, wrote: “Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President’s behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President.”
“One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things,” Terwilliger continued.
5. Kenneth Chesebro (7 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents; one count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer
The indictment describes how several of the co-defendants, including attorney Kenneth Chesebro, allegedly worked together from Dec. 11, 2020, through Dec. 25, 2020, in several states including Georgia and Arizona to commit acts “in furtherance of the conspiracy.” The acts include Chesebro sending emails to co-defendant Michael Roman regarding Trump presidential elector nominees in other states, according to the indictment.
On Dec. 13, 2020, Chesebro also sent an email to Giuliani outlining the “multiple strategies for disrupting and delaying the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” according to the indictment.
Chesebro’s attorney, Scott Grubman, called the charges “unfounded” and said his client was never in Georgia on behalf of the campaign.
“Mr. Chesebro, an appellate and constitutional lawyer with experience in election law disputes, was asked by the Trump Campaign to provide advice on issues related to constitutional and election law,” Grubman said in a statement to ABC News. “Each of the alleged ‘overt acts’ that are attributed to Mr. Chesebro relate to his work as an attorney.”
6. Jeffrey Clark (2 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; one count of criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings
The indictment alleges that Jeffrey Clark, a U.S. Justice Department official in the Trump administration, made false statements to senior DOJ officials “urging the officials to let him convey the false information to Georgia State Officials.”
Clark wanted to be able to say that the Department of Justice “identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the State of Georgia,” according to the indictment.
Clark requested authorization, both in writing and in person, to send this incorrect information to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston, and President Pro Tempore of the Georgia Senate Butch Mille, according to the indictment.
Clark said the indictment’s legal theories “either make no sense or are inherently unconstitutional.”
“I think the indictment’s drafter is used to putting a million things into a blender, spreading the jumble across scores of pages, and seeing if defendants beg for mercy,” Clark said on social media. “They have miscalculated. This case will eventually be dissected into a thousand pieces.”
7. Jenna Ellis (2 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; one count of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer
Jenna Ellis, who was a legal adviser for Trump and his 2020 re-election campaign, was cited in the indictment for making “false statements concerning fraud” regarding the election in Georgia on Nov. 3, 2020. The indictment also names her among those allegedly involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors.
Ellis responded to the indictment on social media, saying: “The Democrats and the Fulton County DA are criminalizing the practice of law. 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.”
8. Ray Smith III (12 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer; two counts of false statements and writings; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; one count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents
The indictment names Georgia lawyer Ray Smith III among those allegedly involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors. It also alleges that Smith made false statements and writings to state senators regarding voter fraud.
ABC News has reached out to Smith for comment.
9. Robert Cheeley (10 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; one count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents; one count of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer; one count of false statements and writings; one count of perjury
Georgia lawyer Robert Cheeley allegedly made false statements to members of the Georgia Senate regarding voter fraud at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, according to the indictment. Cheeley is also alleged to have been part of an extensive pressure campaign allegedly targeting the then-speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, David Ralston.
ABC News has reached out to Cheely for comment.
10. Michael Roman (7 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; one count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents
Trump staff member Michael Roman is named among several of the co-defendants who allegedly worked together from Dec. 11, 2020, through Dec. 25, 2020, in several states including Georgia and Arizona to commit acts “in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
Among the acts, Roman instructed an individual associated with the Trump campaign to “distribute information related to the December 14, 2020 meetings of Trump presidential elector nominees in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to other individuals associated with the campaign,” the indictment alleges.
Attorney information for Roman wasn’t immediately available.
11. David Shafer (8 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; three counts of false statements and writings; two counts of forgery in the first degree; one count of impersonating a public officer; one count of criminal attempt to commit filing false documents
Former state senator and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer was one of the alleged Trump fake electors and reserved the room where fake electors met at the Georgia State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, according to the indictment.
“Listen. Tell them to go straight to room 2016 to avoid drawing attention to what we are doing,” he allegedly wrote in a text regarding the meeting, according to the indictment.
Attorneys for Shafer said in a statement to ABC News that he is “totally innocent of the charges” in Fulton County and that his conduct regarding the 2020 election was “lawful.”
12. Shawn Still (7 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of forgery in the first degree; two counts of false statements and writings; one count of impersonating a public officer; one count criminal attempt to commit filing false documents
According to the indictment, Shawn Still, a businessman who in January became a state senator in Georgia, was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump won the state and declared themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.
“The evidence at trial will show that Sen. Still is innocent as the day is long,” his attorney said in a statement to ABC News. “We look forward to our day in court to clear his good name.”
13. Stephen Lee (5 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of criminal attempt to commit influencing witnesses; one count of conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings; one count of influencing witnesses
Stephen Lee, a pastor from Illinois, traveled to the home of Freeman, the Fulton County election worker, on Dec. 14, 2020, “with intent to influence her testimony” regarding events at State Farm Arena, the indictment alleges.
ABC News has reached out to Lee’s attorney for comment.
14. Trevian Kutti (3 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings; influencing witnesses
The indictment alleges that Trevian Kutti — a former publicist for rappers R. Kelly and Kanye West and a longtime friend of Trump — traveled from Chicago to Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and attempted to contact Freeman in order to convince her to report election fraud claims in testimony.
According to the indictment, Kutti went to Freeman’s house but wasn’t able to speak to her. She then spoke to Freeman’s neighbor, identifying herself as a crisis manager attempting to “help” Freeman, then placed a phone call to Freeman telling her that she was in danger and that she could “help” her, according to the indictment. She then spoke to Freeman for about one hour at a Cobb County police precinct, during which she told Freeman that “she needed protection and purported to offer her help,” according to the indictment.
In a statement to Chicago’s WBEZ about the charges, Kutti said she is “appalled at these accusations” and she was “simply being a crisis manager.”
15. Harrison Floyd (3 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; one count of conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings; one count of influencing witnesses
Harrison Floyd, who is associated with the organization Black Voices for Trump, is accused in the indictment of recruiting Kutti to talk to Freeman. According to the indictment, Floyd also joined Kutti’s meeting with Freeman by phone and purported to offer Freeman help.
ABC News has reached out to Floyd for comment.
16. Sidney Powell (7 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit computer theft; one count of conspiracy to commit computer trespass; one count of conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy; one count of conspiracy to defraud the state
Former Trump attorney Sidney Powell is accused of conspiring with other co-defendants to commit election fraud by allegedly encouraging and helping people tamper with ballot markers and machines inside an elections office in Coffee County.
The same group is charged with conspiracy to commit computer theft for allegedly trying to get onto a computer and take information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems Corporation.
ABC News has reached out to Powell for comment.
17. Cathleen Latham (11 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud; one count of impersonating a public officer; one count of forgery in the first degree; one count of false statements and writings; one count of criminal attempt to commit filing false documents; one count of conspiracy to commit computer theft; one count of conspiracy to commit computer trespass; one count of conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy; one count of conspiracy to defraud the state
Former Coffee County GOP chair Cathleen Latham is among those, like Powell, accused of conspiring to commit election fraud in Coffee County.
She was also among the 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump won the state and declared themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors, according to the indictment.
ABC News has reached out to Latham’s attorney for comment.
18. Scott Hall (7 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud; conspiracy to commit computer theft; conspiracy to commit computer trespass; conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy; conspiracy to defraud the state
Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman, is among those accused of conspiring to commit election fraud in Coffee County.
Attorney information for Hall wasn’t immediately available.
19. Misty Hampton (7 counts)
One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act; two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit computer theft; one count of conspiracy to commit computer trespass; one count of conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy; one count of conspiracy to defraud the state
Misty Hampton, who was the elections director in Coffee County at the time, is among those accused of conspiring to commit election fraud in Coffee County.
Jonathan Miller, an attorney for Hampton, told CBS News in a statement that Hampton will be found innocent.
“This is a nationally concerted effort to intimidate and silence government whistleblowers and clerks when they react to witnessing election fraud, law violations, and/or vulnerabilities with the election system that contravenes the ‘big lie’ narrative adopted by mainstream media,” Miller said in the statement.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Peter Charalambous, Cheyenne Haslett, Mike Levine, Allison Pecorin, Ivan Pereira and Laura Romero contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A former staff member of embattled Rep. George Santos has been indicted for impersonating an aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in order to raise funds for Santos.
Samuel Miele was charged with aggravated identity theft and four counts of wire fraud.
Miele was arraigned on the indictment Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn and pleaded not guilty. He was released on $150,000 bail.
“Mr. Miele is not guilty of these charges,” said Miele’s attorney, Kevin Marino. “He looks forward to complete vindication at trial as soon as possible.”
Prosecutors say Miele sent emails and phone calls seeking campaign contributions while claiming to be a “high ranking aide to a member of the House with leadership responsibilities.”
While the indictment doesn’t identify the House member, sources told ABC News that is was Speaker McCarthy.
Miele was the subject of a similar Federal Elections Commission complaint in February.
Santos in May pleaded not guilty to a 13-count indictment accusing him of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.
(ATLANTIC, Iowa) — At a campaign stop at a restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa, last Friday, Ron DeSantis fielded questions from curious voters in the crucial early nominating state — until a staffer announced that his time was drawing to a close.
Handing the microphone to one attendee, the aide noted that his would be the last question DeSantis could take from the shaded restaurant patio.
But the Florida governor moved right along after answering the question, about “woke”-ness in the military, and then turned to a man with his hand raised.
The question-and-answer session lasted another 10 minutes.
Extending time with voters is par for the course for presidential candidates. But for DeSantis, the moment in Atlantic was one of many in recent weeks that exemplifies the reset he hopes will reignite his bid for the White House. As one of the ABC News reporters “embedded” with DeSantis’ campaign, I’ve attended many of his events and appearances, both before and after what his team acknowledges was a pivot this summer — in staffing and in strategy.
DeSantis first entered the Republican primary in late May with loads of cash and goodwill among conservatives, having just won reelection in a famous swing state by nearly 20 points. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he built a brand as a rising star in his party, with a penchant for political brawls over hot-button issues.
Within six weeks of his campaign launch, however, he spent some $8 million, according to financial filings, and decided to shed more than a third of his roughly 100 staffers, evaluating that he had hired — and was spending — too quickly in a primary season that will stretch into next summer.
DeSantis is still former President Donald Trump’s closest primary challenger, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average, though he trails by nearly 40 points. Other rivals have also gained ground on him and one early problem has been replaced by another: While DeSantis wasn’t catching up to Trump in May and June, his numbers have slowly but steadily been dropping since July.
For his part, DeSantis has cast his approach as regional, not national: “It’s a state-by-state campaign,” he recently told ABC News.
“The good thing about these first few states is you want to kick the tires,” he said. “They want to be able to meet you.”
FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages in Iowa and New Hampshire show DeSantis usually in second place, too — but still usually behind Trump by more than 20 points.
DeSantis has established a new rhythm in recent visits to both states: lots of stops across different counties, more questions from voters and increased access for the press. He gets from stop to stop in a bus plastered with his name on the sides.
The governor has appeared to start embracing the routine of retail politics — intimate events in rural towns, which experts say is key to earning the votes of residents of the first two states in the GOP nominating calendar.
“Iowa caucus voters, they’re used to knowing and meeting and shaking hands and taking pictures with the people that they’re going to vote for,” Cody Hoefert, a former co-chair of the Iowa Republican Party, told ABC News.
“They’re used to that one-on-one attention.”
Hoefert, who has yet to endorse a candidate, said DeSantis has been the most aggressive grassroots campaigner in Iowa so far. “It’s not even close,” he said.
DeSantis has said he plans to visit all 99 counties in Iowa and predicts he’ll meet that goal this fall. He visited eight over two days last week, bringing him more than a third of the way there.
“We’re going to continue to take the case directly to the voters,” he said after shaking hands at a restaurant in Tipton on Thursday, a city of roughly 3,000 people some 50 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids.
“We’re going to things where candidates typically don’t go, and I think that shows the commitment to earning the votes of people,” he added. “I am not entitled to anybody’s support. You’ve got to earn that support, and that’s what we’re going to do in Iowa.”
The strategy is aimed at voters like Tiffany Welch, a 43-year-old retail worker from Clive who said she appreciated the governor’s answer to her question about child care support at a town hall in Panora on Friday but remains undecided in the primary.
“I try to hear as many [candidates] as I can,” she said after the event. “I’ve lived in Iowa for 16 years. I’m several caucus cycles into this and I absolutely love being engaged in this. I take my access to candidates seriously.”
The governor did not always campaign this directly.
In the first weeks of his 2024 candidacy, DeSantis, in swings through the early nominating states, kept his distance from voters and the media. He conversed with attendees after speeches but drew criticism for not taking their questions from the stage.
He rarely gave news outlets a formal setting to ask him questions, forcing reporters to try to get his attention as he exited events.
Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair said she noticed DeSantis was “a little stiff” in those initial visits.
“I told him to relax,” Sinclair, who has endorsed the governor and joins him often on the trail, told ABC News. “And I think he has.”
On a recent trip to the state, she recounted, DeSantis spontaneously chose to stop at a convenience store and speak to voters.
“We were in my district and it was his idea to just stop at Casey’s and talk with people, which he did,” she said, noting a man in the store approached her afterward and suggested the governor had won him over.
As DeSantis’ approach has changed, so have the people ushering him around.
Never Back Down, the super PAC that has raised more than $100 million to boost DeSantis’ candidacy, has run much of the governor’s ground game the last several weeks, taking the reins from the campaign.
The group has organized three bus tours since late July, carefully advertising DeSantis as a “special guest” to avoid breaching federal elections laws, which prohibit coordination between candidates and these kinds of political action committees.
Most stops involve a formal question-and-answer session with voters, and some feature short press conferences afterward with reporters.
The increased media access has also meant increased scrutiny, occasionally turning passing moments into fodder for critics.
Last month, when touring the Wayne County fairgrounds, DeSantis told a girl eating a snow cone, “That’s probably a lot of sugar, huh?”
The clip went viral, fueling detractors who call the governor too awkward to win over the electorate.
Then, with swarms of cameras following him at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Saturday, DeSantis absorbed heckles from fairgoers, including from a group by the pork tent that chanted, “We want Trump!”
When a man shouted “meatball” in his direction, referencing a derogatory nickname, two people trailing the governor with “DeSantis 2024” signs in the air laughed.
“What a funny insult,” one of them said.
DeSantis, meanwhile, trudged ahead.
The governor’s allies insist the verbal slings and arrows don’t faze him, invoking some of the same culture warrior vocabulary that first catapulted him into the GOP spotlight.
“He’s got a core,” Keith Rothfus, a former Pennsylvania congressman who served with DeSantis in the U.S. House of Representatives and knows him well, told ABC News.
“What’s the word? He’s based,” Rothfus said. “He knows what he wants to do. He knows the straits that we’re in. That kind of stuff isn’t going to bother him at all.”
(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Sen. Tim Scott has remained fairly neutral in his attacks on his fellow presidential candidates, and this week during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, he steered clear of directly criticizing former President Donald Trump after his fourth indictment, calling it “un-American.”
The South Carolina Republican senator had the fair to himself on Tuesday after several of his GOP rivals rolled through, including former President Donald Trump, who was indicted a fourth time Monday night.
When asked about Trump’s latest indictment, Scott responded, “We see the legal system being weaponized against political opponents that is un-American and unacceptable. At the end of the day, we need a better system than that.”
When asked specifically about the recording of a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump urged him to “find 11,780 votes” – the exact number the former president needed to win in the state, Scott said, “We just draw different conclusions.”
Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
Scott’s rhetoric differed from his fellow GOP presidential candidates when they visited the Iowa State Fair. They used their colliding events to make jabs at one another. A banner reading “Be likeable, Ron!” paid for by Trump’s campaign flew over Gov. Kim Reynolds’ “fair-side” chat with Nikki Haley.
Rather than engage with his rivals, Scott was able to lean on his optimistic message to woo fairgoers. He ate BBQ, flipped pork with Sen. Joni Ernst and even tossed a football with a few attendees. One of them was 11-year-old Dayton Ruby.
“I’ve seen Tim Scott all over YouTube,” said Ruby, who told ABC News he would vote for Scott if he were old enough to vote.
The South Carolina senator’s campaign has invested heavily in ads in the state. Before his arrival, they dropped a radio ad as a part of their $6 million ad-buy in Iowa and New Hampshire titled “Bountiful Harvest.” In it, Scott promises to “support the production of ethanol and other homegrown biofuel,” “stop China from buying our farmland,” “fight for fair trade to ensure our farmers have access to foreign markets” and sell E15, a plant-based fuel often made from corn, year-round.
It’s a tug on the heartstrings of “The Corn State,” which boasts a major agricultural sector. Nearly 85% of Iowa’s land is used for agriculture, according to the USDA.
Despite the heavy ad blitz, Scott still remains firmly in third place amongst Iowans, polling at 9%, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll. This leaves him still far behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who’s polling at 20% and even further from Trump who maintains a big lead at 44%.
Scott’s criticism of other candidates has been minimal. The closest critical comments came when he pushed back on DeSantis over the Florida’s new controversial educational guidelines concerning slavery being taught in middle school.
“There is no silver lining in slavery,” Scott said.
His refusal to engage in political attacks appeals to voters such as Kay Rice from Ames, Iowa.
“He’s positive, he’s relaxed, he’s energetic, and I just think he brings not only a fresh face, but he also brings some fresh ideas,” said Rice, who spoke to ABC News after Scott’s tour of the fair.
During lunch with Sen. Ernst, Scott teased a tour of early voting states after the debate. But his poll numbers, despite his investments in the state, may leave one to wonder: is an optimistic message enough?
Voters told ABC News they will be watching to see how he fairs during the upcoming debate in MIlwaukee, and if he can differentiate himself from the pack. His campaign says a small team is helping him to prepare for the event.
After passing out strips of pork to reporters, Scott was jokingly asked if this was a part of his debate preparation to which he responded, “It’s hot — that’s good news, gotta stay focused — that’s good news, be yourself — better news.”
(INDIANAPOLIS) — Mike Pence on Wednesday, in his first reaction to Donald Trump’s latest indictment — which Trump denies — said the 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen and that the American people should be told “the truth,” drawing a further contrast between himself and his former running mate over the fallout from the last presidential race as he challenges Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.
“Now this week comes another indictment regarding the former president’s conduct in the days leading up to the close of our administration. I’ve said many times: I had hoped the judgement about those days will be left to the American people and to history. Such is not the case,” Pence told a group of Republican state lawmakers at the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit in Indianapolis.
While Pence offered his standard line that Trump is entitled to the “presumption of innocence” in his four criminal cases, Pence forcefully rejected Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Late Monday, Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the battleground state.
Trump’s campaign responded by calling the charges against him “un-American” and “wrong.” He has denied all wrongdoing.
The former vice president on Wednesday did not directly comment on the accusations against Trump but made clear he disagreed with the continued focus on baseless 2020 election fraud claims.
“In these times, I want to say I think it’s important that we hew to first principles and that we tell the truth to the American people. First principles are these: No one’s above the law. And the president and all those implicated are entitled to the presumption of innocence that every American enjoys,” Pence said.
“Secondly, with respect to what the former president and his allies have said for now more than two and a half years, and continue to insist at this very hour: The Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election on Jan. 6,” he added, to applause.
Pence went on to quote Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp from Tuesday, saying, “‘Anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward.'”
“And I’ll always believe, by God’s grace, I did my duty that day to see to the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States and the laws of this country,” Pence said, referring to Jan. 6, 2021, when he presided over the certification of the 2020 election results in a ceremonial role.
Since Pence and Trump left office, and since Pence has launched his 2024 campaign, he has increasingly highlighted his differences with Trump over Jan. 6.
While he touts other accomplishments during their administration, he has been vocal about disagreeing with the claim that he could have stopped the Electoral College certification, as Trump wanted.
“Should I have the privilege to serve as your president, I will always keep my oath to the Constitution,” Pence said Wednesday.
The former vice president tied his oath to the Constitution — “the framers wrote federalism directly into the Electoral College system” — to a conservative policy plan he unveiled that would, he said, empower state lawmakers and expand federalism.
Ticking through some highlights, Pence said he would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, return block grants for federal health care funds back to the states, repeal all Affordable Care Act mandates, return millions of acres of federal land back to states and prohibit regulations that imposes mandates on states.
The plan, detailed on Pence’s website, would also return control of highway trust spending back to states, convert all federal housing programs to state block grants and limit the federal use of eminent domain to seize private land for public use in exchange for payment.
“The plan is really just about freeing the states to lead,” Pence said. “And I promise, should I have the opportunity to be your president, you will have a champion in the states in the Oval Office of the White House.”
Taking a few questions, Pence was asked by an attendee how he’ll win over Trump voters. He brought up the opportunity at next week’s GOP primary debate, in Milwaukee, and said he hopes Trump shows up.
“And I hope it’s the beginning of a vigorous debate about the future of the country, because while we’ve talked today about a difficult time in our recent past, elections are about the future. And candidly, the differences that I have with my former running mate have as much to do with different visions for the American future,” he said.
(ATLANTA) — Less than 10 months after taking on the role as Donald Trump’s right-hand man in the Oval Office, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows allegedly became the then-president’s key partner in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
On Monday, the 64-year-old Meadows was listed with Trump and 17 other alleged co-conspirators in a sweeping felony indictment handed up by a Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury.
Meadows, Trump and the other named co-conspirators are charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act. Meadows also faces a charge of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a late-night news conference Monday that the defendants participated “in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office.”
If convicted of the RICO charges, the defendants face time in prison, according to Willis. “It is not a probated sentence,” she said.
On Tuesday, Meadows’ attorney George Terwilliger filed a motion requesting the case against his client be moved from state court in Georgia to federal court. The filing is based on federal law that Terwilliger argues requires a criminal proceeding brought in state court to be removed to the federal court system when someone is charged for actions they allegedly took as a federal official acting “under color” of their office.
“Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President’s behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President,” Terwilliger wrote in the filing. “One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things.”
Terwilliger added in his filing, “This is precisely the kind of state interference in a federal official’s duties that the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits, and that the removal statute shields against.”
Meadows could not be immediately reached by ABC News for comment.
According to the indictment, Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman, is accused of participating in eight “overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy.” His alleged engagement in the conspiracy dates back to Nov. 20, 2020, when he and Trump met in the Oval Office with Michigan legislators, including Michael Shirkey, the majority leader of the Michigan Senate, and Lee Chatfield, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives.
During the meeting, according to the indictment, Trump allegedly “made false statements concerning fraud in the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election in Michigan.”
Willis explained that while some of the 161 acts in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy occurred outside Georgia, the grand jury included them in the indictment because the panel “believes they were part of the illegal effort to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.”
In another overt act, Meadows is accused of traveling to Georgia on Dec. 22, 2020, in an attempt to observe a signature match audit on the presidential election that law enforcement officers and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were conducting at the Cobb County Civic Auditorium. The audit process was not open to the public, according to the indictment.
While at the Cobb County Civic Auditorium, Meadows spoke to Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs, the Georgia Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Bahan Rich, who all prevented him from observing the audit, according to the indictment.
On Dec. 23, 2020, Meadows allegedly arranged a phone call between Trump and Watson, in which the president “falsely stated” he had won the Nov. 3 presidential election “by hundreds of thousands of votes,” according to the indictment. The president told Watson, “When the right answer comes out you’ll be praised,” the indictment alleges.
In a subsequent text message sent to Watson on Dec. 27, 2020, Meadows asked, according to the indictment, “Is there a way to speed up the Fulton County signature verification in order to have the results before Jan. 6 if the Trump campaign assists financially?”
Two days later, on Dec. 29, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger released a statement saying a hand recount and machine recount of the votes requested by the Trump campaign confirmed Trump had lost the presidential race in Georgia. Raffensperger, a Republican, also said the signature match audit found no fraudulent absentee ballots.
Despite the results Raffensperger announced, Meadows and Trump allegedly committed the felony of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer by “unlawfully soliciting, requesting and importuning Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a public officer, to engage in conduct constituting the felony of adjusting, and otherwise unlawfully influencing the certified returns for the presidential electors for the November 3 presidential election in Georgia.”
In a recording of the hour-long conference call obtained by ABC News, Trump told Raffensperger that he wanted to “find 11,780 votes” that would declare him the winner in Georgia. During the call, Meadows told Raffensperger, “There are allegations where we believe that not every vote or fair vote and legal vote was counted and that’s at odds with the representation from the secretary of state’s office,” according to the recording.
Raffensperger, according to the recording, responded by telling Trump, “We don’t agree that you won.”
