The late Ray Charles’ version of “Georgia on My Mind” has become part of the Great American Songbook tradition, and it’s possible the song is even on the playlist of former President Donald Trump – who is known to have a rather eclectic taste in music; and since leaving office has actually played “DJ” for guests at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Even if Trump doesn’t care for that particular song, it is very much likely that the Peach State is on his mind this week as the former president faces an indictment, which is expected “imminently,” TheHill.com reported on Tuesday morning.
Donald Trump Has More Problems: Charges Coming Very Soon
Fulton County’s Democratic District Attorney Fani Willis has been probing Donald Trump’s efforts to interfere in Georgia’s closely fought 2020 election for over a year. It is widely expected that she’ll bring the fourth indictment of the year against the former president by the end of the month – and possibly much sooner.
“The work is accomplished,” Willis told local news outlets in Atlanta last week. “We’ve been working for two-and-a-half years. We’re ready to go.”
The investigation began after a recorded January 2021 phone call was first disclosed. On the call, Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes that would win him the state. Since then, the former president has petitioned to halt Willis’ investigation multiple times, with a hearing on a third attempt scheduled for this coming Thursday.
It is unclear what charges Donald Trump may face, but legal experts have suggested that Willis may bring Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges.
Though RICO statutes are typically employed in cases involving organized crime, the Georgia statue may be geared toward any “enterprise,” which would enable it to be used for a wider variety of conduct.
“When you have a criminal enterprise that includes a pattern of violations, that’s inherently more serious and kind of separately serious than any individual criminal action,” Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who also helped draft a model prosecution memo analyzing the case, told TheHill.com.
The state charges in Georgia would come following last week’s federal indictment that was also connected to the 2020 election – in which the former president was charged with four counts for his role in trying to block the peaceful transfer of power.
The RICO charges could also enable prosecutors to sweep in criminal statutes in Georgia that aren’t directly tied to elections. That could include making false statements and official certificates as well as charges for computer trespass, and that could be used to address broader Trump campaign efforts to access voter machine data in Coffee County, Georgia. RICO could further allow the district attorney to include conduct outside of the Fulton County jurisdiction.
Trump Can’t Slow This One Down
As Time magazine reported, the Trump organization has a long his of successfully delaying legal procedures and investigations, sometimes even for years. His team has already indicated that Trump’s legal team may employ a similar strategy with some of his current legal challenges.
Though that could work with some of the federal charges, it likely won’t work. In addition, while the federal cases against Trump will not be televised as the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure doesn’t allow video cameras in the courtroom; the same won’t be true in state courts.
New York State’s laws on filming trials are generally only allowed in very limited circumstances, but Georgia has strong protections for open courts. The American public is most likely to see the case in Georgia on TV.
Georgia Courthouse Being Readied
Whether the case will actually be televised isn’t known, but it was reported on Tuesday that the roads around the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta are closed, while orange barricades and metal barriers have been set up. Officers from both the sheriff’s and marshal’s offices have a visible presence and a bomb-sniffing dog was brought in on Monday to check media vehicles, according to NBC News
Clearly the courthouse is ready – as there are fears demonstrators could descend on the courthouse when the indictment is announced.
Willis said she is “ready to go.” Whether the same is true of Trump and his supporters isn’t known, but Atlanta isn’t taking any chances in what promises to be a truly unique moment in American history.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
