# What happens if Trump is indicted in Georgia? (Indicted on August 14, 2023) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 17, 2023, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928 "2023-02-17T03:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 117
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2321 "2024-02-15T20:49:52Z")
[![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53531406601_ae91485dc4_b.jpg "Cash and carry") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/68782016@N08/53531406601/) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2322 "2024-02-15T20:50:27Z")
wow! what just happened!? are they having a meeting in chambers? she got the answer of the end of the relationship just right, wade said june, she would say august. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2323 "2024-02-15T20:51:43Z")
No, just a brief break. My guess is that it’s to calm things down. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2324 "2024-02-15T20:52:41Z")
I can guarantee that court reporter needs a break. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2325 "2024-02-15T20:53:06Z")
I think my favorite Willis line today was, “As you know, Mr. Wade is a southern gentlemen, me, not so much.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2326 "2024-02-15T20:55:52Z")
I can understand what she’s doing, though. She wants to be precise in her answers, so there’s a lot of back-and-forth about “house or condo?” and “which cruise?” The questions are not narrow enough any more, and she wants to be precise to bolster her credibility. The judge just admonished Ms. Merchant to be more narrow with questions. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2327 "2024-02-15T20:56:16Z")
i can not say enough how impressed i am with the judge. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2328 "2024-02-15T20:58:45Z")
Now the judge is cautioning Ms. Willis. He’s certainly being fair to both sides, which should be expected, of course. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2329 "2024-02-15T21:17:59Z")
IANAL, but listening to about the last 20 minutes of the CNN live feed, Fanni Willis is steamrolling all over Ms Merchant. Wow, there’s no question who the better lawyer is! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2330 "2024-02-15T21:18:02Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > He’s certainly being fair to both sides, which should be expected, Yes, he’s doing great. Willis is being more argumentative that I would like. But she’s understandably agitated by the allegations. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2331 "2024-02-15T21:21:49Z")
I guess it’s Law School 101 that for witnesses, simple “yes/no” answers are always a bad idea, every time. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2332 "2024-02-15T21:28:12Z")
ms willis is getting a good idea of what these lawyers are like. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2333 "2024-02-15T21:28:39Z")
Willis seems very savvy to me, in that her experience tells her exactly where certain questions will lead them to later argue. She’s having none of it. She is refusing to give them any ammo via their “innocuous” questions. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2334 "2024-02-15T21:32:02Z")
What, monetarily, did Wade get out of this relationship? I know he was allegedly being paid more than other special prosecutors Willis hired, but that might have been because he worked more hours. But was he being paid more than he was in private practice and therefore could afford to kick back some of his salary to Willis in the form of trips and gifts? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2335 "2024-02-15T21:34:44Z")
the judge is starting to knock back the lawyers now. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2336 "2024-02-15T21:38:15Z")
He is. I’m wondering if he’s moving things along because it is currently 4:35 pm in Atlanta, and he’d like to wrap things up for the day, or at least by 5:00 pm. Spending five minutes on when she was in DC, and why and with whom, was (IMHO) a time-waster. No wonder the judge took steps to speed things up. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2337 "2024-02-15T21:40:27Z")
i believe the judge has heard enough, and has an opinion on this by now. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2338 "2024-02-15T21:52:49Z")
A litigator weighs in on the optics of this situation: [**Opinion: Fani Willis and Nathan Wade need to step aside for the sake of the country - CNN**](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/15/opinions/fani-willis-nathan-wade-trump-georgia-election-cooper/index.html) TL;DR: > It’s essential that the Fulton County prosecution not descend into a diversionary circus where the focus is on the prosecuting team’s misjudgments instead of the defendants’ misdeeds. Willis and Wade should voluntarily recuse themselves and allow other prosecutors to run the case. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2339 "2024-02-15T22:09:56Z")
So say Willis and Wade step aside. Who is the unassailable person with a perfect past ready to step in? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/2340 "2024-02-15T22:17:21Z")
Wrapping up for the day. Reconvening at 9:00 am tomorrow. Ms. Willis is out of the witness box, but I’m sure she will be back there tomorrow morning for a bit. A few procedural matters before adjournment for the day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928.md?page=116) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928.md?page=118)