Former DA, Republican strategist on Trump indictment and how RICO charges could affect his campaign

August 15th, 2023

In this Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, photo, Republican then-presidential candidate Donald Trump listens during a news conference after speaking at the TD Convention Center, in Greenville, S.C. (Richard Shiro/AP)

Late Monday night, a Fulton County grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies for their alleged efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.

The nearly 100-page indictment outlines 41 charges against Trump and his allies for partnering together to illegally interfere with election results in Fulton County. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and a Trump administration Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, are among the people charged in the case.

President Donald Trump, who claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him, has been indicted four times since March and is facing multiple charges. Trump is still running for re-election in 2024. He has until Aug. 25, 2023, to turn himself in to face charges in Fulton County.

On Tuesday’s special edition of “Closer Look,” host Rose Scott talks with several guests about the ongoing case.

First, Scott talks with WABE politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali. The reporters provide a recap of what happened inside the courtroom.

Former DeKalb District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming provides a legal analysis of the indictment and why RICO charges were applied in the case.

Lastly, Julianne Thompson, a Republican strategist and the president of Main Street Network Strategies, and Fred Hicks, an Atlanta-based political strategist and analyst, discuss the potential impact of Trump’s indictments on his campaign, the 2024 U.S. presidential race and what Democrats and Republicans must do in terms of strategy and messaging to their voter bases.