The special grand jury report in Fulton County, Ga., reveals that many others narrowly avoided being indicted. Donald Trump held a New Jersey fundraiser Thursday for one of his co-defendants in Georgia, and New York’s attorney general says the former president inflated his net worth by billions of dollars every year.
Georgia election interference
Special grand jury recommended charges for Graham, 20 other Trump allies
Key players: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, lawyer Boris Epshteyn, lawyer Lin Wood, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis
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A special grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., recommended criminal charges be brought against Graham and 20 other Trump allies who ended up not being indicted by Willis, HuffPost reports.
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Those revelations appear in the grand jury report on the investigation into the efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Ultimately, Willis did not include in her sprawling indictment Graham, Perdue, Loeffler, Flynn, Wood and others the grand jury voted to charge. Nineteen people, including Trump, have been charged with multiple felonies, including racketeering.
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After losing a court challenge, Graham testified before the 21-person grand jury, which later voted 13-7 to indict him, with one member abstaining.
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In a statement posted to his social media website, Truth Social, Trump said the release of the report has “ZERO credibility and badly taints Fani Willis and this whole political Witch Hunt.”
Why it matters: Some on the grand jury argued that for political figures like Graham, Perdue and Loeffler, “pandering to their political base” did not rise to “being guilty of a criminal conspiracy.” Willis, who has a reputation as a meticulous prosecutor, apparently agreed.
Trump hosted $100,000-a-plate fundraiser to help co-defendant Giuliani pay his legal bills
Key players: Lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his son Andrew Giuliani
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On Thursday, Trump hosted a $100,000-per-person fundraiser to help Giuliani, his former attorney, pay his mounting legal bills, the Associated Press reported.
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The event was held at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., and was expected to raise $1 million for Giuliani, according to Andrew Giuliani, the former New York mayor’s son, who told WABC radio, “It won’t be enough to get through this.”
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Giuliani is facing 13 felony counts in Fulton County, Ga., for his efforts to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.
Why it matters: Trump had faced criticism from some of his co-defendants for not offering to help cover the costs of their legal bills. In July, Giuliani listed his Manhattan apartment for sale for a price of $6.5 million.
New York civil financial fraud
Prosecutors: Trump inflated his net worth by up to $3.6 billion per year
Key players: New York Attorney General Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron
In a court filing Friday, James’s office said that Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $3.6 billion per year, ABC News reported.
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Trump, his adult sons and his business regularly misled financial institutions by adding square footage to properties, ignoring development requirements and disregarding unfavorable appraisals, according to the filing.
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“After factoring in these and other fundamental considerations that any informed buyer and seller in the marketplace would take into account, Mr. Trump’s net worth would be further substantially reduced by between $1.9 billion to $3.6 billion per year, which is still a conservative estimate,” the filing in the $250 million civil case states.
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Trump and his sons have all pleaded not guilty in the case.
Why it matters: Engoron has scheduled a Sept. 22 hearing to decide whether to grant a summary judgment against Trump ahead of the Oct. 2 start of the trial. If he does so, the case will boil down to deciding how much money the former president, his family and business are liable to pay the state and whether they can continue to operate there.
Read more:
CBS News: Trump’s Georgia co-defendants and the high legal bills they may be facing
Deseret News: New Utah lawsuit attempts to bar Trump from 2024 election ballot
Fox News: Trump says he will ‘absolutely’ take the stand and testify in his own defense
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Thursday, Sept. 7
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Another former Trump official is found guilty of contempt of Congress. The Georgia prosecutor trying former President Donald Trump and his allies for their attempts to overturn the 2020 election results seeks to keep the identity of jurors secret. A former Mar-a-Lago employee avoids criminal charges by agreeing to testify for the prosecution and the New York financial fraud civil trial will not be delayed.
Jan. 6 election interference
Former Trump official found guilty of contempt of Congress charges
Key players: Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, former White House strategist Steve Bannon, Judge Amit Mehta
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Navarro was found guilty Thursday of two counts of contempt of Congress for his refusal to offer testimony and documents after being subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, the Associated Press reported.
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Each count carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison. Mehta set Navarro’s sentencing date for Jan. 12.
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Navarro is the second former Trump official to be found guilty of contempt of Congress. Last year, Bannon was sentenced to four months in jail for defying a House subpoena. His case is under appeal.
Why it matters: Navarro’s lawyers argued he did not have to turn over evidence or testify about his dealings with Trump because he was shielded by executive privilege claims. Those same arguments are likely to be made in special counsel Jack Smith’s upcoming case against Trump.
Georgia election interference
Willis seeks protections for jurors
Key players: Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee
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In a motion filed Wednesday, Willis asked McAfee to prohibit the 19 defendants, the news media and others from publishing images, videos, photos or drawings of those being considered as jurors in the sprawling criminal case regarding attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
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In the motion, Willis seeks to block the release of information about jurors — “specifically physical descriptions, telephone numbers, addresses, employer names and membership affiliations” — that could be used to intimidate or harm them, the Associated Press reported.
Why it matters: In the wake of the release of the 41-count indictment against Trump and his allies, the identities of the grand jury members were posted online and they were subject to harassment, including death threats, from supporters of the former president.
Classified documents case
Mar-a-Lago IT worker strikes deal with prosecutors
Key players: Special counsel Jack Smith, Trump employee Yuscil Taveras, valet Walt Nauta, property manager Carlos De Oliveira
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In a worrisome development for Trump, an IT worker at Mar-a-Lago has agreed to testify for the prosecution in the case brought by Smith regarding the former president’s handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.
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In exchange for his testimony, Taveras will avoid being charged with crimes in the case, CNN reported.
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Two other Trump employees, valet Nauta and property manager De Oliveira, have already been charged with helping Trump hide documents from federal investigators; both have pleaded not guilty.
Why it matters: Last month, Taveras reportedly admitted that he initially lied to Smith’s team. He has since told investigators that Trump requested that he delete potentially incriminating security camera footage regarding the documents.
New York financial fraud case
Judge rejects Trump request to delay start of civil trial
Key players: Judge Arthur Engoron, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, New York Attorney General Letitia James
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Engoron, the judge overseeing the $250 million financial fraud civil case brought against Trump, his two adult sons and the Trump Organization, rejected arguments made by the former president and his lawyers seeking to delay the start of the trial.
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“Defendants’ arguments are completely without merit,” Engoron wrote in his ruling, ABC News reported.
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James and the state of New York allege that Trump and his co-defendants committed fraud over decades by overinflating business assets in order to obtain favorable loan terms.
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The trial is expected to begin Oct. 2.
Why it matters: In all the legal cases facing the former president, Trump’s lawyers have sought to delay the proceedings until after the 2024 presidential election. So far, those efforts have fallen flat.