GA - Ex-POTUS Donald Trump and others indicted, 13 counts in 2020 election interference, violation of RICO Act, Aug 2023 *4 guilty* #3

[BritsKate]

On David Shafer's frivolous motion for an evidentiary hearing - Fulton County has open records. It's very common for private practice criminal defense law firms to pull data of recent indictments and offer their services to those defendants. A lot of it is probably done automatically but sending such a letter to Shafer was almost certainly just an oversight. Those solicitations usually mention what the defendant has been charged with - DUI, speeding, manslaughter, etc. You see the same thing with personal injury attorneys and car or workplace accidents. Just FWIW
---------------------------
A short segment on Trump's possible removal motion (with honestly, a lot missing from the discussion - like the 30 day deadline and more pros/cons of state vs. federal court) but I like Lisa Rubin and she makes it so easy to understand:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699847188665221448

---------------------------
DA Willis' office has responded to Cathy Latham's removal bid and addresses the 1960 Hawaii slate of electors therein for the first time. A few highlights:

Instead, Defendant and the rest of the nominated slate of Trump presidential electors falsely and without qualification represented themselves to be “duly elected and qualified” electors at the direction of the losing Trump presidential campaign...

The results of that recount, for the third time, confirmed a Biden win by a margin of 11,779 votes...Defendant and the other nominated electors representing the losing Trump campaign opted to pretend otherwise. Despite the repeatedly confirmed fact that Trump had lost the presidential election in Georgia, and that the Republicannominated slate of electors had consequently not been appointed presidential electors, Defendant and her cohorts mimicked the actions of the genuine Democratic slate of electors by meeting on December 14, 2020, at the State Capital.

“Contingent electors,” of course, are not presidential electors at all, and Defendant directs this Court to no relevant legal authority that would substantiate that the losing candidate’s nominees have any recognized status after the counting is complete and results are certified.

Defendant was never a recognized presidential elector with any role to fulfill, federal or otherwise

Repeated invocations to “precedent” allegedly set in Hawaii during the 1960 presidential election misses the mark by a wide margin...First, and this principle hardly seems necessary to explain, actions that did not result in prosecution 60 years ago—in a different jurisdiction with different election code and criminal statutes, presided over by different prosecuting agencies, and with differing substantive evidence of criminal intent—provides zero protection for Defendant Latham and her co-defendants who conspired to advance the 2020 fraudulent elector scheme in Georgia. Second, the factual situations are so readily distinguishable as to make the comparison meaningless. In 1960, by the December 19 date when the Hawaii electors met, the Republican slate of electors had been certified by the Governor based on the initial tally of votes, but due to the close margin of less than 150 votes, an official recount was ongoing. In the present case, when Defendant Latham and the other fraudulent electors met, two recounts had already been completed, each of which confirmed a margin of victory for then-candidate Biden of more than eleven thousand votes...the Governor of Hawaii re-certified the election and appointed the Democratic slate of electors...

And for people who don't know - Hawaii became a state in 1959 and 1960 was their first presidential election. I never thought the fake electors had a strong case to support removal but her office pretty much just torches it. JMO

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.319599/gov.uscourts.gand.319599.8.0.pdf

Apologies for the length of this post.

 

[Lilibet]

Apologies for the length of this post.

Absolutely no need to apologize for the length of your post! I so appreciate you and the other members who are delving into the details of this case so that I don’t have to use my diminishing mental bandwidth doing so. You all are treasures. Thank you!

 

[Inthedetails]

On David Shafer's frivolous motion for an evidentiary hearing - Fulton County has open records. It's very common for private practice criminal defense law firms to pull data of recent indictments and offer their services to those defendants. A lot of it is probably done automatically but sending such a letter to Shafer was almost certainly just an oversight. Those solicitations usually mention what the defendant has been charged with - DUI, speeding, manslaughter, etc. You see the same thing with personal injury attorneys and car or workplace accidents. Just FWIW
---------------------------
A short segment on Trump's possible removal motion (with honestly, a lot missing from the discussion - like the 30 day deadline and more pros/cons of state vs. federal court) but I like Lisa Rubin and she makes it so easy to understand:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699847188665221448

---------------------------
DA Willis' office has responded to Cathy Latham's removal bid and addresses the 1960 Hawaii slate of electors therein for the first time. A few highlights:





And for people who don't know - Hawaii became a state in 1959 and 1960 was their first presidential election. I never thought the fake electors had a strong case to support removal but her office pretty much just torches it. JMO

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.319599/gov.uscourts.gand.319599.8.0.pdf

Apologies for the length of this post.

I appreciate the length - I had forgotten the details about Hawaii.

jmo

 

[Niner]

Court site update

Trump

Events & Hearings
09/07/2023 NOTICE
NOTICE
Comment: President Trump's Initial Notice Regarding Removal of His Prosecution to Federal Court


Shafer

Events & Hearings:
09/07/2023 MOTION
MOTION
Comment: Defendant Shafer's Motion for Evidentiary Hearing Regarding Improper Contact by Special Prosecutors Law Firm



link: Fulton County Magistrate, State, and Superior Court Record Search

 

[BritsKate]

Special Grand Jury Report due out today, folks. I'll post it as soon as I see it unless one of you beats me to it.

(By the way, Trump has 30 days from the date of arriagnment to file his motion to remove. Betcha he waits until the very last day. )

 

[Vern]

Special Grand Jury Report due out today, folks. I'll post it as soon as I see it unless one of you beats me to it.

(By the way, Trump has 30 days from the date of arriagnment to file his motion to remove. Betcha he waits until the very last day. )

I bet you're right!! So much so that I think @Niner, @Inthedetails and yourself could already mark the upcoming date on your respective calendars for tracking purposes!! You're all doing awesomely keeping us informed and organized!! @JerseyGirl is too!! So Thank You!!

Site here is going to carry the SGJ Report's release live if anyone is interested in that:

Mark Meadows loses bid to transfer Georgia election interference case to federal court – as it happened

Meadows faces two felony charges, including racketeering and solicitation of a violation of oath by a public officer

www.theguardian.com

 

[Niner]

I bet you're right!! So much so that I think @Niner, @Inthedetails and yourself could already mark the upcoming date on your respective calendars for tracking purposes!! You're all doing awesomely keeping us informed and organized!! @JerseyGirl is too!! So Thank You!!

Site here is going to carry the SGJ Report's release live if anyone is interested in that:

Mark Meadows loses bid to transfer Georgia election interference case to federal court – as it happened

Meadows faces two felony charges, including racketeering and solicitation of a violation of oath by a public officer

www.theguardian.com

Thanks!

So this Special Grand Jury report - what is this about? What the grand jury notes say or how they came to their conclusions ??

 

[Leilei]

Thanks!

So this Special Grand Jury report - what is this about? What the grand jury notes say or how they came to their conclusions ??

I was wondering, too! I found this but hopefully someone with more knowledge can chime in. Can't wait for it to drop so we can read it!

A special grand jury report that helped indict Trump is out today. This is what it's likely to have

A judge is expected to release the full report compiled by a special grand jury that helped an investigation by the Georgia prosecutor who ultimately indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others.

apnews.com

 

[Vern]

Thanks!

So this Special Grand Jury report - what is this about? What the grand jury notes say or how they came to their conclusions ??

The Special Grand Jury Report is expected to be dropped in Georgia at 1000hrs this morning. I think this report will be very enlightening ... and eye opening based upon what 5 of the Special Grand Jurors had to say.

As a precusser, I'm linking in to quote an earlier post of mine regarding the Special Grand Jury:

Excellent, very lengthy and in-depth interview with 5 of the Special Grand Jurors. From their selections, delibertions and through to their recommendations ... 8 Months worth ... (bits BBM) ...

Behind the scenes of Trump grand jury in Georgia; jurors hear 3rd leaked Trump call

Five of the special grand jurors investigating interference in Georgia’s 2020 elections spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, including details of a previously unreported Trump call, this one asking then Speaker David Ralston asking him to convene a special session of the Legislature to...

www.ajc.com

Some points and quotes:
- “One of the most important things we’ll be a part of in our life was this eight month process that we did,” one juror told the AJC. It was “incredibly important to get it right.”

- For months, they were unable to talk to friends, family members and co-workers about what they were doing. They said the overall panel was diverse, with different races, economic backgrounds and political viewpoints represented.

- After their work that day was done, jurors were silently led through tunnels to the courthouse basement, walking past a SWAT team stationed in the hallways to armored vans that took them to their off-site cars. “It was the haunted house of SWAT,” one juror said. For others, that’s when the gravity of their assignment hit home. “We knew it was big, but as they were leading us out, then that’s when it hit. I was like, holy moly,” one said.

- The first set, who they questioned early on, were generally forthcoming. The second was witnesses who needed to receive subpoenas but were willing to talk. The third was people who clearly did not want to be there and had fought their summons. They were the last witnesses jurors heard from, and many had at least at one point been close to Trump. “It was like night and day when that second group finished and we got to the third,” the juror said. “The tone in the room
completely changed, like overnight.”

- One grand juror recalled U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony about Trump’s state of mind in the months after the 2020 election. “He said that during that time, if somebody had told Trump that aliens came down and stole Trump ballots, that Trump would’ve believed it,” the juror said.

- A notable moment came as prosecutors were questioning a witness who said he possessed additional evidence of election fraud at his office. “‘I mentioned something like, ‘oh, I’d like to see that.’ One of the DA’s team stood up immediately, left, came back in and he handed a subpoena to the witness still sitting there,” a juror recounted, declining to disclose who the witness was.

- Another indicated he had grown more jaded after it became clear that some witnesses were telling the grand jury one thing about the election under oath and then casting doubt on the system when they returned to the campaign trail, sometimes hours later.

- The group said they had no idea what Willis planned to do in response to their recommendations. But many described an increased regard for the elections system and the people who run it.

- Said another juror: “I tell my wife if every person in America knew every single word of information we knew, this country would not be divided as it is right now.” The grand jurors said they understand why the public release of their full final report needs to wait until Willis makes indictment decisions.

- “A lot’s gonna come out sooner or later,” one of the jurors said. “And it’s gonna be massive. It’s gonna be massive.”

 

[Leilei]

The Special Grand Jury Report is expected to be dropped in Georgia at 1000hrs this morning. I think this report will be very enlightening ... and eye opening based upon what 5 of the Special Grand Jurors had to say.

As a precusser, I'm linking in to quote an earlier post of mine regarding the Special Grand Jury:

Excellent, very lengthy and in-depth interview with 5 of the Special Grand Jurors. From their selections, delibertions and through to their recommendations ... 8 Months worth ... (bits BBM) ...

Behind the scenes of Trump grand jury in Georgia; jurors hear 3rd leaked Trump call

Five of the special grand jurors investigating interference in Georgia’s 2020 elections spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, including details of a previously unreported Trump call, this one asking then Speaker David Ralston asking him to convene a special session of the Legislature to...

www.ajc.com

Some points and quotes:
- “One of the most important things we’ll be a part of in our life was this eight month process that we did,” one juror told the AJC. It was “incredibly important to get it right.”

- For months, they were unable to talk to friends, family members and co-workers about what they were doing. They said the overall panel was diverse, with different races, economic backgrounds and political viewpoints represented.

- After their work that day was done, jurors were silently led through tunnels to the courthouse basement, walking past a SWAT team stationed in the hallways to armored vans that took them to their off-site cars. “It was the haunted house of SWAT,” one juror said. For others, that’s when the gravity of their assignment hit home. “We knew it was big, but as they were leading us out, then that’s when it hit. I was like, holy moly,” one said.

- The first set, who they questioned early on, were generally forthcoming. The second was witnesses who needed to receive subpoenas but were willing to talk. The third was people who clearly did not want to be there and had fought their summons. They were the last witnesses jurors heard from, and many had at least at one point been close to Trump. “It was like night and day when that second group finished and we got to the third,” the juror said. “The tone in the room
completely changed, like overnight.”

- One grand juror recalled U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony about Trump’s state of mind in the months after the 2020 election. “He said that during that time, if somebody had told Trump that aliens came down and stole Trump ballots, that Trump would’ve believed it,” the juror said.

- A notable moment came as prosecutors were questioning a witness who said he possessed additional evidence of election fraud at his office. “‘I mentioned something like, ‘oh, I’d like to see that.’ One of the DA’s team stood up immediately, left, came back in and he handed a subpoena to the witness still sitting there,” a juror recounted, declining to disclose who the witness was.

- Another indicated he had grown more jaded after it became clear that some witnesses were telling the grand jury one thing about the election under oath and then casting doubt on the system when they returned to the campaign trail, sometimes hours later.

- The group said they had no idea what Willis planned to do in response to their recommendations. But many described an increased regard for the elections system and the people who run it.

- Said another juror: “I tell my wife if every person in America knew every single word of information we knew, this country would not be divided as it is right now.” The grand jurors said they understand why the public release of their full final report needs to wait until Willis makes indictment decisions.

- “A lot’s gonna come out sooner or later,” one of the jurors said. “And it’s gonna be massive. It’s gonna be massive.”

Ohhhh this is going to be good.
Looks like take-out for dinner because I'll be reading all day
Thank you for this!

 

[Vern]

Ohhhh this is going to be good.
Looks like take-out for dinner because I'll be reading all day
Thank you for this!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700131465881702762

Any moment now, we could see the full report from the Fulton County special grand jury that investigated election subversion in Georgia.
@eliehonig
joins to explain what happens next:

 

[BritsKate]

Thanks!

So this Special Grand Jury report - what is this about? What the grand jury notes say or how they came to their conclusions ??

It's the report of the recommendations by the Special Grand Jury based on the months of testimony they heard. Like, who should be prosecuted and for what.

Bear in mind, some folks think that because the Special Grand Jury could not indict it somehow makes the DA's case weaker. I always thought it was the inverse. Not one Grand Jury moved to indict but effectively two - one was just limited to recommendations only. JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

- Said another juror: “I tell my wife if every person in America knew every single word of information we knew, this country would not be divided as it is right now.” The grand jurors said they understand why the public release of their full final report needs to wait until Willis makes indictment decisions.

snipped

This is the quote I recall reading previously. They shouldered this burden - we all owe gratitude to the grand jury.

I hope something can be done to repair the divide in our country, but I'm willing to bet the disinformation machine is ready to pump out bunk to undermine whatever the report shows. (And, will people actually read the report or just repeat what they hear on tv? Sigh.)

But

 

[BritsKate]

28 page report is out but gotta wait for someone to upload it.

 

[BritsKate]

And here we go!

2022-EX-000024 - EX PARTE ORDER OF THE JUDGE (2)

www.documentcloud.org

Wow. Charges recommended against Lindsey Graham, Cleta Mitchell, David Perdue and Mike Flynn. And Kelly Loeffler and Boris Epshteyn too.

(Really makes Kemp a paragon in comparison to other Georgia state Republicans.)

 

[Inthedetails]

And here we go!

2022-EX-000024 - EX PARTE ORDER OF THE JUDGE (2)

www.documentcloud.org

Wow. Charges recommended against Lindsey Graham, Cleta Mitchell, David Perdue and Mike Flynn.

Thank you!

 

[Vern]

And here we go!

2022-EX-000024 - EX PARTE ORDER OF THE JUDGE (2)

www.documentcloud.org

Wow. Charges recommended against Lindsey Graham, Cleta Mitchell, David Perdue and Mike Flynn.

You rock!! Was just coming to post it up!

 

[Inthedetails]

And here we go!

2022-EX-000024 - EX PARTE ORDER OF THE JUDGE (2)

www.documentcloud.org

Wow. Charges recommended against Lindsey Graham, Cleta Mitchell, David Perdue and Mike Flynn. And Kelly Loeffler and Boris Epshteyn too.

(Really makes Kemp a paragon in comparison to other Georgia state Republicans.)

Cleta Mitchell:

Cleta Mitchell - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

(If anyone is a wikepedia snob, please refer to the footnotes on the wikipedia page which link to sources)

p.s. I find the timeline of her switch from Dem to Rep and second husband's banking troubles interesting, fwiw. I make no conclusions atm, but did find it interesting.

 

[BritsKate]

The numbers are really something - overwhelming yes votes to almost every charge. Could potentially foreshadow what a trial jury may conclude. (Every charge is 19 or 20 Yes votes to 1 or 2 No.)

I didn't count it myself but msnbc is reporting that 21 people were recommended for indictment but ultimately weren't. Remember the indictment states there are 30 undindicted co-conspirators so a handful of people are missing from this report. (A couple of defendants have filed motions to have the unindicted co-conspirators names but I don't think that motion will be granted. It's standard DOJ protocol that unindicted people aren't named publicly with few caveats.)

FWIW

 

[Leilei]

Whew, a few of them dodged an indictment bullet.
They'll be called as witnesses during the trial though IMO.
Also... should there be a thread about the various states that are trying to get Former Guy off of the ballot? It's very interesting.