By David Voreacos and Erik Larson, Bloomberg News
Donald Trump and 18 codefendants have fewer than 10 days to turn themselves in for arraignment in Atlanta on charges they engaged in a sweeping criminal operation to keep the former president in office after he lost the 2020 election.
In a 41-count indictment issued this week, 161 specific acts are stitched together under the umbrella of a racketeering statute that spanned remarkable months in U.S. history after President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Georgia.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis uses Georgia’s racketeering statute to tell the story of a criminal organization, allegedly led by Trump, that gave false testimony to Georgia lawmakers, empaneled a phony slate of electors, intimidated poll workers, stole election machine data and beseeched state officials to toss out votes.
As with his previous three indictments, Trump denies all of this as a partisan attack to thwart his bid to run for the White House in 2024. Here are some key dates:
Oct. 31, 2020
Four days before the election, Trump begins the alleged conspiracy by discussing a draft speech with an unindicted co-conspirator that falsely declares victory and alleges voter fraud, which prosecutors say set the stage for coordinated efforts to undermine faith in the results.
Nov. 4, 2020
One day after Trump loses to Biden, the outgoing Republican president delivers the speech to a nationally televised audience, hinting at a constitutional crisis. “The speech was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,” the indictment says.
Nov. 15, 2020
Attention shifts to Georgia, a key swing state. One of Trump’s election attorneys, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, leaves an 83-second voicemail for another unindicted co-conspirator, making what the indictment says are false statements about election fraud in Fulton County.
Nov. 19, 2020
Giuliani and two other lawyers charged in the case, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, make false…
Read the full article here