# 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:** 28
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/541 "2023-08-15T20:54:17Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > But just because they deny Trump’s election lies, that doesn’t mean they want to see him prosecuted for them. I could easily see them holding the dissonant positions of “Trump is wrong about the 2020 election” and “But these charges are an overreach by fanatical Democrats, so I will do X to help him.” I agree with you, but I’m not seeing that latter bit. Maybe I am just not searching properly. I’ve seen assumptions that they will go to great lengths to prevent him from being convicted, such as this one: > [@Cervaise](#): > > I think it’s effectively guaranteed that Georgia’s legislature, which **[tilts Trumpy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_General_Assembly),** and the executive branch, also GOP, will attempt to interfere with the proceedings. As linked earlier, they will soon have the power to remove DAs they don’t like, so I’d bet money Willis is gone in November. In Georgia the governor doesn’t have pardon power like in other states; it’s handled by a **[separate board](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_State_Board_of_Pardons_and_Paroles)** but they’re appointed by the governor so it’s obviously still political (and occasionally **[fairly corrupt](https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2003/mar/15/georgia-parole-corruption-deepens/)**). > > The indictments are inarguably good news. But it’s implausible in the extreme that we will now proceed to trial without crippling interference from the state’s political authorities. But I see no justification for it. I don’t see an outcry from state party members the way we’re seeing it at the national level. Again, maybe I’m just failing in my searches. And I’m not in Georgia where I am getting local news. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/542 "2023-08-15T21:09:14Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > GA state officials are, to my knowledge, pretty firm in defending the integrity of the 2020 elections in their state, Kemp and Raffensberger in particular. But just because they deny Trump’s election lies, that doesn’t mean they want to see him prosecuted for them. One other thought that I had today was that, so far as we can tell, the second Grand Jury only heard testimony for one day and decided to go forward with accepting the word of the first Grand Jury. I believe that they were saying that it would take at least a couple of days to present the case, but they were all ready to go to prosecute a former president and others in a complicated, 40+ charge RICO conspiracy after just one day’s of the presentation. I have no relevant experience but it feels to me like you can’t get to that point so fast unless you’ve got some people who were in on the matter coming in, under oath, and stating unambiguously, “Yes, I was clearly participating/being asked to participate in a criminal scheme.” ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/543 "2023-08-15T21:56:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > She ‘warned’ about a civil war if Trump was convicted in his impeachments. And they would get stopped cold. What are they gonna do? Loot a Walmart in the name of a civil war? The right thinks they have all the guns. Um, no. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/544 "2023-08-15T22:00:51Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > And they would get stopped cold. What are they gonna do? Loot a Walmart in the name of a civil war? My point was that Republicans in Georgia are probably more afraid of their base than they are of Trump; so while they may be happy for Trump to be brought down, they may have pressure from their constituents to help Him weasel out of this. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/545 "2023-08-15T22:01:55Z")
So Mark Meadows has already filed a motion to remove this case to a federal court. I haven’t yet seen or read the pleading, but I’m interested to see his basis and how it plays out. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/546 "2023-08-15T22:02:46Z")
I got that Johnny. Bunch of cowards Like Linsey Graham. They are nothing but wind socks when it comes to the principles they ‘stand’ for. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/547 "2023-08-15T22:08:06Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@ShadowFacts](#): > > > > Even Chris Christie came out today to say Trump shouldn’t have been indicted in GA. > > Seriously? Why not? If you can get past the WaPo paywall, Ruth Marcus has made the case: [Is Georgia’s case against Trump one case too many?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/14/georgia-indictment-trump-willis/) > [@](#): > > Obviously, the federal indictment ranges far beyond Georgia, but the efforts of Trump and his as-yet-unindicted co-conspirators to overturn the election results are extensively cited in the indictment, including Trump’s infamous demand that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “find” 11,780 votes for him in the state. Georgia has an important interest in ensuring that its elections are conducted fairly and that votes are accurately counted, but the primary interest at issue here is that of the United States. This was a federal election, after all. Legally, there is no double jeopardy issue, because the Supreme Court ruled 7-2, in 2019, that state and federal prosecutions on the same facts are constitutional ([with Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/17-646_d18e.pdf) filing one of her final dissents). My view is that federal/state double jeopardy, however constitutional, doubles the chances of an innocent being convicted. So I’m against it. I have no problem with the Georgia indictment including the eighteen new defendants, but Trump should have been left out. He already was federally indicted for the attempt to reverse the legitimate Georgia election results. The fewer prosecutions, the less chance Trump is convicted. Since I don’t think anything notably good (or terribly bad) would come from a Trump conviction, I look at other factors, as above. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/548 "2023-08-15T22:09:01Z")
Got through all 98 pages. That was seriously thorough. I can see why ms Willis went with the Rico charge. It flows very well from nov to jan. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/549 "2023-08-15T22:13:08Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > This was a federal election, after all. That’s false. There is no such thing as a federal election. We have elected federal **positions** , yes, but they are filled through local elections. Ruth Marcus is invoking a nonexistent authority in her argument. (Lest anyone be confused, I’m not quoting PhillyGuy, I am responding to PhillyGuy’s quote of Marcus.) This was an attack on Georgia’s elections, and they have jurisdiction. There should be a high bar to clear before usurping that authority. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/550 "2023-08-15T22:24:27Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > There should be a high bar to clear before usurping that authority. And I think “I want a federal pardon from future president Trump” does not clear that bar. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/551 "2023-08-15T22:28:35Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > And I think “I want a federal pardon from future president Trump” does not clear that bar. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/552 "2023-08-15T22:51:29Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > an interesting tidbit, i noticed that when they mention twits on real donald trump’s feed, it states" donald john trump caused to be tweeted from the twitter account" i haven’t seen one as yet (on pg 38) that states he did it himself; all state “caused to be”. My two cents…I think they know it came from his account, his phone, and he wanted/was fine with the words conveyed, but they might not know who actually typed the words. Trump personally, or an assistant, etc. It probably means they don’t know one way or the other (which is a small gap in their evidence), or at the very least are being very safe. But I think if you knew he typed the words you’d just say he tweeted it - an example of how you would know is you have a witness who was there and will testify to it. To me, this indicates you don’t have that witness. Conversely, in the Federal indictment, it will say Trump tweeted something (ie, Trump typed it), and sometimes say he “issued” a tweet (ie, probably meaning they don’t know if he typed it or someone else - a gap in the evidence/no witness, etc). I haven’t matched the tweets to see if the same tweets are phrased differently between Feds/GA, but it might shed some light on it. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/553 "2023-08-15T23:24:44Z")
Did he have to go and turn himself in first? ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/554 "2023-08-15T23:32:19Z")
I don’t know if that’s a prerequisite. It might be – or not. I just don’t know. An educated guess is that so long as you’re a named defendant and charges have been filed with a case number assigned, your lawyer can file a (some?) motion(s) in the case at any time, even if there hasn’t yet been a formal appearance. I can think of a case I worked on in California where something similar was done. Only once, though. But I think we’d have heard about it if Meadows had surrendered. I’m pretty sure the media have the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department staked out to see who’s shown up for their surrender – and who hasn’t. LOL, was that helpful? Let’s wait to see if one of our actual lawyers weighs in. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/555 "2023-08-15T23:36:05Z")
It’s all over folks: > **[Trump Announces Plans to Finally Go Ahead and Prove Election Was Rigged](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-announces-press-conference-prove-election-stolen-1234806915/)** > > The former president says he will deliver a “CONCLUSIVE” report next Monday that should get everyone to drop all the charges ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/556 "2023-08-15T23:40:10Z")
I am surprised the REPORT will be released next Monday. That’s only 6 days from now. Don’t Trump’s deliverables usually take two weeks? As the article mentions, why did he wait this long to release this “proof”? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/557 "2023-08-15T23:40:25Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Legally, there is no double jeopardy issue, because the Supreme Court ruled 7-2, in 2019, that state and federal prosecutions on the same facts are constitutional ([with Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/17-646_d18e.pdf) filing one of her final dissents). Thanks for this info - I had been wondering about that! ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/558 "2023-08-15T23:42:35Z")
Moderating: > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It’s all over folks: Let’s maybe use this thread to post information that pertains generally across all the various prosecutions: > [@7 Jan 2021 and beyond - the aftermath of the storming of the Capitol](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020): > > Since the [6 Jan 2021 thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-january-2021-a-day-worth-a-thread/929770/1614) was closed at the request of the OP, I’ve been looking for a place to post about all the things that have been happening in the aftermath but only finding pieces scattered here and there, so I’m starting a thread to hopefully consolidate the events. The White House and cabinet resignations, the Hawley book deal that got canceled, the talks about the 25th amendment, the talks about impeachment, the fate of the rioters, the discussion of Trump’s suspensions from Facebo… Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/559 "2023-08-15T23:50:11Z")
Sorry…link to that same post in the other thread: > [@7 Jan 2021 and beyond - the aftermath of the storming of the Capitol](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/4460): > > Cross post (at a mod’s behest) It’s all over folks: ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/560 "2023-08-15T23:50:32Z")
Thanks. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928.md?page=29)