Donald Trump could be charged with multiple crimes over his attempts to overturn his loss in the state of Georgia, report says

Former President Donald Trump.
Former President Donald Trump.
  • Donald Trump could be charged with crimes over Georgia election interference, a new report says.
  • The report says Trump and his allies pressured Georgia officials to overturn his loss in the state.
  • Trump is facing several probes in relation to his post-election conduct in Georgia.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Former President Donald Trump could be charged with multiple crimes over election interference in Georgia, a new report says.

The report by the Brookings Institution, a leading think tank in Washington DC, analyzes publicly available evidence that shows that Trump and his allies attempted to pressure Georgia officials to "change the lawful outcome of the election."

A key piece of evidence is the now-infamous call made by Trump on January 3 to Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger. He told him to "find 11,780 votes" to overturn Biden's win.

The report adds that Trump publicly pressured and personally contacted several other officials in Georgia to ask them to help him overturn his loss in the state.

It includes Governor Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, who Trump reportedly placed direct calls to in December to urge them to go along with "his increasingly desperate plans to decertify his loss."

"We conclude that Trump's post-election conduct in Georgia leaves him at substantial risk of possible state charges predicated on multiple crimes," the report said.

"These charges potentially include criminal solicitation to commit election fraud; intentional interference with performance of election duties; conspiracy to commit election fraud; criminal solicitation; and state RICO violations."

The report added that criminal liability could extend to some Trump allies, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani appeared before committees in the Georgia Capitol with the intent of convincing state lawmakers to "take extraordinary action to reverse Biden's win," the report notes.

In February, Raffensperger's office opened a probe into Trump's efforts to overturn his loss in the state.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also launched a criminal investigation into Trump's conduct relating to the election.

The Brookings Institution report analyzes these probes and suggests what crimes Trump could be charged with and his legal defenses.

The report suggests that Trump would likely claim immunity, arguing he cannot be prosecuted for actions taken while he was president.

Former presidents enjoy a measure of immunity for actions taken that "fall within the scope of their lawful duties as a federal official," according to the report.

However, in this case, Trump's actions were "well outside the scope of his official duties," the report says.

Trump and his allies have continued to promote baseless claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

The former president is currently facing several criminal probes over his conduct while in office, as well as his personal finances.

Read the original article on Business Insider


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