In an unusual twist of events, on August 14, a Georgia court briefly published and then removed a two-page list of charges against former President Donald Trump. This development coincided with reports that a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, was still hearing testimonies from witnesses regarding former President Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results. These witnesses were focused on his efforts to retain his position after Democrat Joe Biden was declared the winner.
The premature release of the anticipated charges raised concerns about the possibility of predetermined accusations before the grand jury’s vote. According to Reuters news service, the county’s website inexplicably removed the document from public view, while the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office stated that no charges had been formally brought against President Trump.
As news about the charges being posted and then deleted circulated, reporters gathered on both sides of the Fulton County Courthouse, awaiting confirmation of the grand jury’s proceedings and watching for any signs of witnesses emerging.
The discourse around the indictment’s release date, which was August 14 instead of August 15, gained traction among reporters following the Reuters report. Journalist George Chidi, who was summoned to testify, noted that his planned August 15 testimony had been rescheduled to the previous day to, August 14. Chidi remarked on X (formerly known as Twitter), “They’re moving faster than they thought.”
Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec expressed concern on the Truth Social platform. He highlighted the Reuters report’s suggestion that the charges might have been determined before the grand jury completed their voting process. Posobiec raised questions about the objectivity of the grand jury’s decision-making, given their apparent prior awareness of the charging decision.
Approximately 30 minutes after the Reuters story was published, President Trump posted on his Truth Social account, without directly mentioning the Georgia document, expressing his hope that Republicans and the nation’s citizens would recognize the developments affecting democracy and freedom. He stated that a sitting President was indicting his political opponent, which he found unprecedented and alarming.
The document listing the charges outlines that if approved, Trump would face 13 offenses. The document indicates a total of at least 39 charges planned for the indictment, with 26 counts related to other defendants whose identities are not disclosed in the obtained Reuters document.
The first charge against Trump lists racketeering in connection with an incident on November 4, 2020, following the 2020 presidential election. Six additional charges related to actions allegedly taken on December 6, 2020, involving conspiracy to commit impersonation of a public officer and five counts of conspiracy to commit forgery or other falsified documents, statements, or writings.
Trump is also allegedly facing charges of solicitation to violate an oath by a public officer that occurred on December 7, 2020. The subsequent incident, involving the filing of false documents, is linked to December 31, 2020.
Two charges—solicitation to violate an oath by a public officer and making false statements and writings—are tied to a notable phone call between President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021. In this call, President Trump contested the election results and claimed fraudulent votes had contributed to his deficit of fewer than 12,000 votes.
Lastly, two counts of the same charges are connected to actions that allegedly occurred on September 17, 2021.