In the previous season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s award-winning podcast “Breakdown,” the AJC closely followed the special grand jury that investigated former president Donald Trump and his allies over what happened in Georgia after the 2020 election.
Now the tenth season of “Breakdown” — “The Trump Indictment” — follows the aftermath of the grand jury’s 97-page, 41-count racketeering indictment, and the charges that Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis’ office has brought against Trump and 18 co-defendants.
“Breakdown — The Trump Indictment” is hosted by legal affairs reporter Bill Rankin and senior reporter Tamar Hallerman, who covered the Trump White House when she was the newspaper’s Washington correspondent. They are joined this season by editor Shannon McCaffrey, who is leading the AJC’s team of reporters covering the Fulton County indictments.
You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcasting platform. You can also stream it on your computer from ajc.com at the links below. (For previous coverage of the Fulton County special grand jury that investgated alleged election interference, listen to Season 9 of “Breakdown” here.)
EPISODE 1: How We Got Here: The tenth season of “Breakdown” begins by looking at the evidence accumulated against Donald Trump and his allies in the Georgia election interference investigation.
EPISODE 2: The Enterprise: We get our first look at the sweeping 41-count racketeering indictment returned by a Fulton grand jury and discuss who is charged.
EPISODE 3: The Chaos Arrives: The aftermath of the Fulton Grand Jury’s racketeering indictment against former President Donald Trump. The episode includes reactions from three of the special purpose grand jurors and it introduces listeners to the 34-year-old judge who was randomly assigned the racketeering case.
EPISODE 4: Show Time at Rice Street: Recounting a very busy week at the Fulton County Jail, where 19 defendants will surrender by the end of the week.
EPISODE 5: Trump Surrenders: The hectic moments before Donald Trump’s historic surrender at the Fulton County jail.
EPISODE 6: Meadows’ Gambit: Rcapping former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ attempt to transfer Fulton County’s sweeping racketeering case to U.S. District Court in Atlanta.
EPISODE 7: The ‘Architect’: Attorney Scott Grubman, who represents Kenneth Chesebro, explains in an exclusive interview why he believes charges should not have been brought against the man some call “the architect” for the slates of alternate electors.
EPISODE 8: Finally, the Report: Listeners finally get a close look at the long-awaited report from Fulton County’s special purpose grand jury. And why did so many of the names recommended to face criminal charges not end up in Fani Willis’ indictment?
EPISODE 9: Meadows is Denied: U.S. District Judge Steve Jones denies Mark Meadows’ bid to remove his case to federal court, with possible implications for Donald Trump.
EPISODE 10: To Remove or Not to Remove: Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and three GOP electors attempt to remove their cases from Fulton County to federal court, but they face Judge Jones, who has already denied a similar bid by Mark Meadows.
EPISODE 11: Let’s Make a Deal: The Georgia election interference case has its first guilty plea. What does it mean for the remaining defendants, and are there other plea deals to come?
EPISODE 12: Lights, Camera, Action! Fulton County is the only jurisdiction that has indicted the former president on criminal charges where cameras are allowed in the courtroom. Does that guarantee a media circus? Two lawyers debate the question: Steve Brill, who founded Court TV; and Nick Ackerman, a former Watergate prosecutor wro argues that cameras in the courtroom could lead to juror and witness intimidation.
EPISODE 13: The Kraken’s Released: The surprise guilty plea of lawyer Sidney Powell, who infamously said she would “release the Kraken” when falsely promising she would produce widespread evidence of election fraud.
EPISODE 14: Copping a Plea: Four plea deals come in quick succession, including ones from Jenna Ellis and Kenneth Chesebro. How valuable will the defendants’ cooperation be, and are more deals to come?
EPISODE 15: Inside the Ellis Plea Deal: Frank Hogue, the lawyer who brokered a plea deal for Jenna Ellis, speaks exclusively with “Breakdown” hosts about how the deal came about.
EPISODE 16: The Fraud Hunters: AJC reporter Mark Niesse explains the GBI investigation of the data breach in Coffee County. Plus, Harrison Floyd’s lawyer requests mountainous state and Fulton voting information to prove that Trump won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
EPISODE 17: The Proffers: We look at the leaked videotaped interviews with the four defendants who struck plea deals. The leak led to the Fulton DA’s office calling for a sealing of all documents turned over in discovery.
EPISODE 18: Breakdown Bonus: Thanksgiving Edition: Former Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter and Atlanta defense attorney Bob Rubin discuss whether we are likely to see more plea deals. Plus, could Harrison Floyd have his bond revoked and end up back behind bars?
EPISODE 19: Walking the Line: Fani Willis makes a fiery courtroom debut when she argues that bond should be revoked for Harrison Floyd, who had been repeatedly attacking potential witnesses on social media. The hearing could provide a sneak peek of the battle to come with another social media fan — Trump.
EPISODE 20: Election Interference? Following the interaction between Steve Sadow and a special prosecutor over the possibility of the trial being held next August. Plus, some legal experts say that defendant Trevian Kutti could get her bond revoked over recent social media posts.
EPISODE 21: A Conversation With DA Willis: Fani Willis sits down for a wide-ranging interview about the case and opens up about her possible political aspirations. The episode also catches listeners up on the defamation trial filed by two poll workers against Rudy Giuliani.
EPISODE 22: Sorry, Not Sorry: Two of the apology letters written as a condition of plea deals were only one sentence long. Do such apologies show any true sign of remorse or are they symbol of defiance?
EPISODE 23: Bombshell Allegations: A look at the fallout of allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has had an improper relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Is the DA’s office at risk of being disqualified from prosecuting the case?
EPISODE 24: Firing Back from the Pulpit: Fani Willis gives a defiant speech to the Big Bethel AME congregation about the allegations of misconduct lodged against her and Nathan Wade.
EPISODE 25: Wade v. Wade: Nathan Wade’s divorce further affects the Fulton election interference case and a Cobb County judge considers a motion to unseal Wade’s divorce file.
EPISODE 26: Piling On: Pressure builds on DA Willis, with motions filed that join the effort to disqualify her. Plus, an interview with the lawyer who represents Wade’s estranged wife and who says a motion to quash a subpoena by Willis’ lawyer was a big mistake.
EPISODE 27: The Response: DA Willis files a pointed response that answers questions over her relationship with Nathan Wade, and dismisses the motion to disqualify her from the case. The response gets a quick – and powerful – reply from Ashleigh Merchant.
EPISODE 28: Getting Personal: More motions are filed calling for DA Willis’ disqualification, and we ask legal experts to weigh the merits of those claims. Plus, the federal appeals court in Washington rejects Trump’s claim of presidential immunity, a development which could affect how the Georgia election interference case plays out.
EPISODE 29: Setting the Table: Judge McAfee clears the way for what could be an explosive hearing focusing on the personal relationship between DA Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
EPISODE 30: Fani Willis Takes the Stand: Defiant, emotional, angry and sometimes even funny, Willis’ first day of testimony was both remarkable and surprising as she pushed back against accusations that could disqualify her.
EPISODE 31: Under the Microscope: We dissect the recent evidentiary hearing on the motion to disqualify DA Willis and her office, and recap testimony from the defense’s “star witness,” Terrence Bradley, former law partner of Nathan Wade. Other testimony comes from a former Georgia governor and Willis’ father, John Clifford Floyd III.
EPISODE 32: No Star Witness: Terrence Bradley, the former law partner of Nathan Wade, takes the witness stand once again but doesn’t say what defense attorneys want to hear. Also, we recap cellphone data analysis that Trump’s lawyers seek to get admitted into evidence.
EPISODE 33: The Closings: It’s a showdown of closing arguments as to whether DA Willis should or should not be disqualified.
EPISODE 34: The Cases for Keeping or Disqualifying: Two legal experts, Norm Eisen and Andrew Fleischman, give their own closings as to why they think Willis should remain on the case or be kicked off it. Plus, Fani Willis and Judge McAfee each pick up challengers to their reelections.
EPISODE 35: Fani’s Choice: Judge McAfee issues his decision on whether DA Willis can stay on the case, and leaves the decisions to Willis, in a way. McAfee also includes a harsh assessment of Willis’ and special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s conduct.
EPISODE 36: Merchant Speaks Out: Attorney Ashleigh Merchant explains her motivations for filing the motion to remove Willis and gives her reactions to Willis’ surprise testimony at the evidentiary hearing.
EPISODE 37: Your Burning Questions: We answer questions from listeners — a possible trial date, the ongoing appeal and a potential replacement for Nathan Wade. Plus, we considers the presidential immunity claims being pursued by Trump in cases in Washington and in Fulton.
EPISODE 38: The Appeal: Trump’s lead attorney leads a First Amendment challenge to the charges, and prosecutor Donald Wakeford counters that it’s Trump’s actions, not words, that are at issue. Also, a renewed effort to remove DA Willis and another case against Trump opens in New York. Will it have ramifications in Georgia?
EPISODE 39: The Case is Submitted: How the nation’s highest court decides the issue — whether former President Donald Trump has absolute immunity from prosecution — directly impacts the election interference case brought against him in Fulton County.
EPISODE 40: Hello, 2025? The Georgia Court of Appeals agrees to hear arguments for the removal of DA Willis — a development that could delay the case well into 2025.
