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Today’s top stories
A grand jury in Atlanta indicted Trump late last night for his role in failed efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. The 41-count indictment also names 18 others, including former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. All 19 defendants are accused of violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.
Former President Donald Trump listens as he is introduced to speak at the South Carolina Statehouse, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, S.C.
Alex Brandon/AP
- On Up First this morning, Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Stephen Fowler says the Fulton County DA used RICO — originally meant to go after the mob — “creatively as this narrative tool to target alleged criminal enterprises.” Trump and his allies are accused of engaging in more than 160 acts that are not all illegal but show there’s a “broader conspiracy afoot to do illegal things.” Fowler describes them as “building blocks that make up the wall of actions to overturn the election” rather than blatantly illegal acts.
- Fani Willis is the district attorney charging Trump. She’s the first woman elected to her role in Fulton County, where Atlanta is, and she’s no stranger to high-stakes cases. She’s won 11 convictions in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal and is currently seeking the death penalty and hate crime enhancements against the shooter who allegedly killed eight people in Atlanta-area spas in 2021, including six Asian women.
- Get more details of the…
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