Trump indicted: How Georgia case compares to DOJ and New York probes

Donald Trump‘s indictment Monday on charges he engineered a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia is the latest in a string of criminal charges filed against the the former president. He has been indicted in Manhattan, Miami and Washington D.C. and now Fulton County.

Here’s how the cases compare:

What they allegedly involve:

Georgia: Efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Classified Documents: This U.S. Department of Justice case involves the mishandling of sensitive records Trump took with him from the White House to his Florida estate after leaving office.

Election Interference: Also led by DOJ, this national case investigated Trump’s efforts in a number of swing states to overturn the results of 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and how they helped lead to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

New York: Hush money paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels as well as other business irregularities.

What are the charges?:

Georgia: A grand jury in Fulton County charged Trump with violating the state’s Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations act, known as RICO. He was also charged with 12 other felonies, including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery. The indictment also charged 18 others as part of the alleged criminal enterprise. The 97-page indictment includes 41 felony counts in all and also lists 30 unindicted co-conspirators.

Classified Documents: In June, a federal grand jury in Miami charged Trump with 37 felony counts related to his mishandling of classified documents. They included violating the Espionage Act, obstructing justice and making false statements. Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, was also charged.

Election Interference: In a four-count indictment handed up on Tuesday, Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, witness tampering and conspiracy against the rights of citizens and obstruction of an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding. The charging document also lists six co-conspirators but does not name or charge them.

New York: Trump was charged in April with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors allege Trump created fictitious records to pay off Daniels $130,000 in October 2016 after she threatened to expose their alleged affair in advance of the 2016 presidential election.

What’s the timing?

Georgia: Willis announced the charges late Monday night. She gave the 19 people charged until Aug. 25 to surrender to Fulton County law enforcement and said she wanted a trial to take place within six months, although she acknowledged the schedule will be set by the judge in the case.

Classified Documents: U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, has set a trial date for May 2024. The former president’s lawyers had sought to delay it until after the November 2024 election.

Election Interference: Trump is due in court on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

New York: A judge rejected efforts by Trump’s lawyers to move the case moved from state to federal court. A trial date has been set for March 2024.

Who are the witnesses?

Georgia: Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, ex state legislators Jen Jordan and Bee Nguyen as well as top state elections official Gabe Sterling all testified before a Fulton County grand jury Monday. Independent journalist George Chidi was also summoned to appear before the panel but was ultimately dismissed without testifying. Separately, about 75 witnesses appeared before a special grand jury in Fulton County, which met for almost eight months in 2022 to investigate wrongdoing in the aftermath of the 2020 election. They included Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn, Gov. Brian Kemp, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, former U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and the late House Speaker David Ralston. Some appeared voluntarily and others had to be subpoenaed.

Classified Documents: A who’s who of the Trump administration testified before a grand jury, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Election Interference: DOJ special counsel Jack Smith heard from Vice President Mike Pence and many other witnesses. He gave Trump four days to appear before a grand jury considering charges but Trump elected not to testify.

New York: A grand jury in Manhattan heard from Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, and Robert Costello, another Trump lawyer. Cohen had spent more than a year in prison and another year and a half in home confinement after pleading guilty in connection to the hush money payments.

Who are the prosecutors?

Georgia: Willis took office in 2021 after an upset win over her former boss, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. She was the lead prosecutor in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, in which educators in the city were convicted in a scheme to illegally boosting student test scores. She is the first woman to hold the DA’s seat in Fulton County.

Classified Documents and Election Interference: In November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to oversee the probes involving Trump. Smith worked in various positions within the Justice Department, including as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York and leading the vaunted Public Integrity Section. Smith also worked as vice president of litigation for the Hospital Corporation of America before becoming chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

New York: Bragg was elected in 2022, becoming Manhattan’s first Black district attorney. In his role as an assistant attorney general in New York, he frequently clashed with Trump over civil matters. He was also assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

What has Trump said?

Georgia: The former president has been attacking Willis for months labeling her a racist and accusing her of ignoring violent crime while she pursed a political witch hunt. A pro-Trump group recently ran a minute-long ad, titled “The Fraud Squad,” in Atlanta media markets which, among other things, accused Willis of having an affair with a former client. In a memo to staff, Willis called the charges “derogatory and false.”

Classified Documents: In federal court in Miami, on June 13 , Trump pleaded not guilty. Ahead of the indictment, Trump’s campaign claimed he was being attacked by “rabid wolves.” His campaign released a video stating that the “radical left” hates the former president because of his role in appointing justices to the Supreme Court who were key votes in overturning Roe v. Wade, exposing the “deep state” and draining “their precious swamp.”

Election Interference: In a post announcing that he had received a target letter from federal prosecutors Trump labeled Smith “deranged.” Trump called the letter “HORRIFYING NEWS” for the country and said he was the target of a political witch hunt.

New York: Trump appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on April 4 and pleaded not guilty. Trump has attacked Bragg, calling him a “racist” and accusing him of leading a politically motivated prosecution. Republicans have piled on. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused Bragg of “abusing his office to target President Trump.”

Does Trump face any other legal exposure?

In a word, yes.

In May, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. They awarded her $5 million in damages. Soon after the verdict in the civil case, Trump made additional disparaging remarks about Carroll in a CNN town hall and on social media. Carroll has asked the judge for additional damages from Trump.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a $250 million civil lawsuit against Trump, his three adult children, the Trump organization and others alleging a widespread fraud scheme involving false financial statements and improper valuation of real estate assets. A trial has been set for Oct. 2.