Donald Trump.Photo: John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
Donald Trumpfaces no shortage of legal troubles as the subject of four historic criminal investigations. But a likely indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, over his alleged efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results could be the most consequential of all, explains a former White House lawyer.
Norm Eisen, a legal and ethics expert and the executive chair of theStates United Democracy Center, tells PEOPLE that many of the investigations into Trump “strike at the very heart of democracy” in that they examine efforts to illegally alter the results of a United States election.
The state of Georgia, Eisen says, is where those efforts “hit hardest of all.”
“It’s logical that a prosecutor on the ground in that state has been investigating virtually since the [Raffensperger tape was released],” Eisen tells PEOPLE. “As a trial lawyer myself, the way you persuade people is through telling a detailed narrative. And the facts on the ground in Georgia are extremely compelling.”
That tape, Eisen adds, “is very significant and valuable,” though he’s quick to point out that “the evidence is compelling across the board.”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, has served in his role since January 2019.Nathan Posner/Shutterstock
Eisen — who previously worked as a staff lawyer on Capitol Hill and as ethics counsel inBarack Obama’s White House — points to what he calls “three lanes” of alleged crimes in the Fulton County case.
First, there’s the so-called fake electors scheme, in which Trump allies allegedly had electors in states across the country sign certificates falsely stating that Trump had won the election in their state. “One of the most outrageous examples of that is found in Georgia,” Eisen notes.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office earlier revealed that 16 people who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state were atarget of her investigation, though at least some of those people have reportedly been granted immunity for cooperating in the investigation.
The second lane, says Eisen is the “‘just find 11,780 votes’ pressure call to Raffensperger.”
Then-President Donald Trump speaks on the phone in the White House.
Eisen continues: “And then you have the computer hacking in Coffee County to support the false conspiracy theories.”
As the Associated Press reported earlier, security camera footage shows two Trump allies spending “days going in and out of the Coffee County elections office,” while Republican Party officials can allegedly be seen allowing them to access the election equipment.
On Sunday,CNN reportedthat Georgia prosecutors had recovered emails and text messages directly linking members of Trump’s legal team to the voting system breach in Coffee County.
“It’s three kinds of fraud. Georgia has all three and offers the most compelling narratives,” Eisen says.
Norm Eisen speaks in a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2019. Eisen previously served as White House special counsel for ethics and government reform and ambassador to the Czech Republic under President Obama.Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty
Eisen says that, in contrast to the federal case surrounding the events of Jan. 6, 2021, the Fulton County investigation has shed light on “an attempted coup not through guns and … tanks and soldiers, but through statutes and lawyers.”
One more reason a Georgia indictment would be so compelling: It would persist even if Trump wins the2024 presidential election.
“Interestingly, that’s another reason [the cases in] Georgia and New York are so important. They’re the insurance policy for federal charges being dropped,” Eisen says.
While the two federal investigations could potentially be dismissed if Trump were to be elected president again (and appoint his allies to the Justice Department), any state investigations will remain ongoing.
GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty
The Fulton County case is one of a number of legal issues the former president faces.
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Per theindictment, Trump was charged with one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. He pleaded not guilty to each of those charges as well.
source: people.com
