Breakdown: The Trump Indictment

Episode 10 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers two hearings during which lawyers for former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and three Republican electors try to remove their cases to federal court in Atlanta. The hearings were before U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones, who recently denied former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to remove his case from Fulton County Superior Court. “To Remove or not to Remove?” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also covers an interesting pretrial ruling by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee and a motion by prosecutors asserting that six attorneys representing various defendants in the racketeering case may have conflicts of interest. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Breakdown episode examines a federal judge’s ruling denying former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to remove his case to U.S. District Court in Atlanta. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones released his 49-page order late Friday afternoon, and his findings could be bad news for former President Donald Trump, whose lawyers have said they will also seek to move his case out of Fulton County Superior Court. “Meadows Is Denied” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also covers a sometimes contentious court hearing before Judge Scott McAfee, who has scheduled an Oct. 23 trial for lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell. And, as expected, more and more court motions are being filed with accompanying rulings in the election interference case involving 19 defendants. Follow Breakdown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The eighth episode of Breakdown’s current season by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution digs into the long-awaited report from Fulton County's special purpose grand jury, which spent eight months investigating Donald Trump and his allies. Learn about the 39 people who the the special grand jurors recommended face criminal charges - including one current and two former U.S. senators - and why some of them ultimately didn't end up in District Attorney Fani Willis' racketeering indictment. You'll also get an update on how long prosecutors think a criminal trial against the 19 defendants would take and hear what Willis had to say to a congressman who wants to investigate her office. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest episode of Breakdown’s current season by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contains an exclusive interview with the lawyers for Kenneth Chesebro, one of the 19 defendants charged in the Fulton County racketeering case. Atlanta attorneys Scott Grubman and Manny Arora make state their case as to why they believe charges should not have been brought against their client. Chesebro, a lawyer, has been described as the architect for the slates of alternate electors who cast Electoral College votes for then-President Donald Trump on Dec. 14, 2020. “The Architect” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also includes coverage of a press conference by Gov. Brian Kemp and his thoughts about proposals to reprimand District Attorney Fani Willis for obtaining the indictment against Trump and his allies. You can follow the Breakdown podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sixth episode of Breakdown’s current season by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps former chief of staff Mark Meadows’ attempt to transfer the sweeping racketeering case to U.S. District Court in Atlanta. During a daylong hearing, Meadows was the first witness called to the stand. He testified for four hours, including a lengthy cross-examination by special Fulton County prosecutor Anna Cross. “Meadows’ Gambit” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also recounts the strange saga of defendant Harrison Floyd, head of the political group Black Voices for Trump during the 2020 election. Follow Breakdown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest episode of Breakdown from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps former President Donald Trump’s historic surrender at the Fulton County jail. “Trump Surrenders” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also recounts a flurry of breaking news in just the past few days: the spectacle of Rudy Giuliani’s surrender, Trump gets a new lawyer, a speedy trial demand is made and District Attorney Fani Willis proposes a new trial date for October. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fourth episode of this season’s Breakdown podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recounts a busy week where lawyers met with prosecutors to get bonds for their clients, including a $200,000 bond for former President Donald Trump. “Show Time at Rice Street” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also covers one of the 19 defendants charged in the racketeering case after another surrendering at the Fulton County jail on Rice Street. The episode also includes a roundtable discussion with two Breakdown regulars – former Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter and New York attorney Nick Akerman who is a former federal prosecutor who successfully used racketeering indictments against crime families. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The third episode of this season’s Breakdown podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines the chaotic aftermath of the sweeping racketeering indictment against former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants. AJC journalists Bill Rankin, Tamar Hallerman, and Shannon McCaffrey explore one attempt — and at least two others that are expected — to move the case from Fulton Superior Court to the U.S. District Court just a few blocks away. The episode includes reactions from three of the special purpose grand jurors who heard from almost 75 witnesses, recommended charges and collected evidence that was used as the foundation of the racketeering indictment. And it introduces listeners to the 34-year-old judge who was randomly assigned the case. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of a very long day, a Fulton County grand jury returned a 97-page, 41-count indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies. Episode 2 – “The Enterprise” – of Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast takes a look at the sweeping racketeering indictment and who is charged. Some of the defendants are extremely well known, such as a former mayor of New York and a former White House chief of staff. But a few others – such as an Atlanta bail bondsman and a Republican strategist – were not on most legal experts’ radar. This Breakdown episode also looks ahead at what is to come – the surrender of Trump and his 18 co-defendants to Fulton County authorities in the days ahead and possible legal strategies that will come into play. Follow the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first episode of the new season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast will catch listeners up on how Fulton County prosecutors have accumulated evidence against Donald Trump and his allies. ‘How We Got Here’ of Breakdown’s Season 10 – ‘The Trump Indictment’ – also looks ahead as to what kind of indictment a seated grand jury could hand up in the days ahead. It is widely expected that District Attorney Fani Willis will ask the panel to issue a racketeering indictment against Trump and others for alleged criminal interference with the 2020 presidential election. All signs point to charges being brought very soon. Orange barricades have been installed around the Fulton courthouse. Intersections have been blocked off. And local officials have been warned to get ready. Follow the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The barricades around the Fulton County courthouse are up. Intersections are blocked off and officials in Atlanta have been warned to get ready. For more than a year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and its award-winning podcast Breakdown closely followed the special grand jury that accumulated evidence against former president Donald Trump and his allies for what happened in Georgia follow the 2020 election. Breakdown will turn a new page on Wednesday when we release the premiere episode of Season 10: The Trump Indictment, which will focus on the criminal case. Any day now, we are expecting a racketeering indictment against the former president, who is leading all of his GOP contenders in race for the 2024 nomination. Overseeing the case is Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. She is an experienced prosecutor who used the state’s racketeering law to convict teachers and educators in one of the most widespread test-cheating scandals in U.S. history. She has also recruited one of the country’s top experts on RICO to join her office and who will almost certainly draft the Trump indictment. Very soon we expect to see Willis’ version of events. So to hear our in-depth report of this historic case, please follow Breakdown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final episode of this season’s “Breakdown” podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman examine the recent federal indictment against former President Donald Trump in Washington and look ahead to what is about to happen in Fulton County. Episode 31 notes how much of what the podcast previously reported as to what happened in Georgia after the 2020 presidential election is part of the indictment obtained by special counsel Jack Smith. And the episode explains how the upcoming indictment in Fulton could be, in the long run, more consequential than the classified documents case in South Florida and the election interference case in Washington. That’s because if Trump is convicted in one or both of them, he could try to pardon himself if he is reelected to the presidency or he could be pardoned if another GOP contender is voted into the White House. That would not apply to the case being brought in Georgia. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Breakdown episode catches listeners up on developments since former President Donald Trump was indicted in Miami in the classified documents case. A day after that indictment was unsealed, Trump returned to Georgia to address a gathering of the state Republican Party. He used the occasion to insult Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and repeat his false claims about the 2020 presidential election. A few days later, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a challenge to the former president, suggesting they have a debate about what really occurred in Georgia. Episode 30, “We’re Still Waiting,” of Breakdown’s Season 9, “The Trump Grand Jury,” explores disclosures involving data firms the Trump campaign hired after the 2020 election and the slate of “alternate” Georgia GOP electors who cast Electoral College votes for Trump. The episode also provides a final update on Breakdown’s popular Season 2, “Death in a Hot Car – Mistake or Murder?” That is the sensational case where Justin Ross Harris left his 22-month-old son Cooper to die in his hot SUV. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finally know when Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will announce her charging decisions in her investigation of possible criminal meddling with the 2020 election. Even though Willis said in January those decisions were “imminent,” it hasn’t turned out that way. In letters to local law enforcement, Willis said there will be a need for heightened security and preparedness due to this pending announcement. Her letters were also written in a way that it seems certain Willis will seek an indictment against former President Donald Trump. The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast explores the ramifications of Willis’s revelations. Episode 29, “Save the Date,” of Breakdown’s ninth season, “The Trump Grand Jury,” also considers two pending court motions that could have far-reaching consequences in the case. Follow the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting platform. Subscribe to the AJC: If you aren’t a subscriber to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to get unlimited digital access to the AJC at a special price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special podcast crossover edition, Politically Georgia host Patricia Murphy joins Breakdown hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman to discuss the first indictment of a former president and what it means to the Fulton County investigation into alleged criminal meddling with the 2020 election. The group dissects the 34-count felony indictment and recounts the surreal scene surrounding Trump’s surrender at the Manhattan courthouse. Also reviewed is Trump’s address hours later to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. In an inflammatory speech, Trump took aim at the Fulton County investigation and called District Attorney Fani Willis “racist.” New York attorney Nick Akerman, a former Watergate prosecutor who has closely followed the cases in Manhattan and Atlanta, also give his perspective on the historical context of the first indictment of a current or former president. Listen and subscribe to Breakdown for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting platform. Listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast recaps exclusive interviews with five of the special purpose grand jurors who investigated possible criminal meddling with the 2020 presidential election. The jurors — three men and two women — shared previously unknown details about the investigation, including witnesses and pieces of evidence that were previously unreported. Episode 27, “Inside the Special Grand Jury,” of Breakdown’s ninth season, “The Trump Grand Jury,” also includes recent comments made by former President Donald Trump about the Fulton County criminal investigation. The five special grand jurors shared stories about what it was like to serve anonymously on one of the most closely watched grand juries in U.S. history. They said it was overwhelmingly educational and at times tedious and emotionally wrenching. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a lengthy interview, Emily Kohrs, forewoman of the Fulton County special purpose grand jury, says the panel has recommended indictments. “It’s not a short list,” Kohrs, 30, said. Kohrs first emerged in an article published by The Associated Press the morning of Feb. 21. Hours later, she sat down for an interview at the offices of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She would later sit for TV interviews. In Episode 26 – “The Forewoman Emerges” – of Breakdown’s ninth season – “The Trump Grand Jury” – we hear Kohrs discuss the special grand jury investigation of possible criminal meddling with the 2020 presidential election. Kohrs talks about certain witnesses who appeared before the panel and reveals information never made public before. Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, Atlanta lawyers representing former President Donald Trump, also sit for an interview and criticize Kohrs for the comments she made and District Attorney Fani Willis for the way she has conducted the investigation. “This type of carnival clown-like atmosphere that was portrayed over the course of the last 36 hours takes away from the complete sanctity and the integrity and, for that matter, the reliability,” Findling said of the special grand jury. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After mulling it over for three weeks, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney decided to release three sections of the report, concluding "the compelling public interest in these proceedings and the unquestionable value and importance of transparency require their release." The special grand jurors reveal they have included vote tallies on each recommendation included in the report and they say they suspect one or more witnesses may have lied under oath while testifying. In Episode 25 legal experts discuss what was made public and also what was not made public. So far, only about one-third of the nine-page document has been released. Shortly after the release of the three portions of the final report, former President Donald Trump posts "total exoneration" on his social media site. But legal observers tell Breakdown it is far too early for the former president to be claiming such a thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special crossover edition of the Politically Georgia and Breakdown podcasts from The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, AJC journalists Patricia Murphy, Bill Rankin, and Tamar Hallerman explain the final report released Thursday from the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Our hosts will explain what we now know and what we have yet to learn from the nearly eight-month investigation into whether crimes were committed when the former president said in a phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that he wanted to find 11,780 votes in Georgia in order to defeat Joe Biden. Plus, a look at who might be exposed after this grand jury investigation and what charged the could be facing. Listen and subscribe to Breakdown for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting platform. Listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A court hearing is held as to whether the Fulton County special purpose grand jury’s final report can be made public right now. The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers the hearing. Episode 23 – “Decisions Are Imminent” – also includes an interview with a former Atlanta prosecutor who explains why he thinks bringing indictments would set a dangerous precedent. At the hearing, Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis has the first word, asking Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney to keep it under seal, at least for the time being. Atlanta lawyer Tom Clyde, representing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and more than a dozen other major news outlets, tells McBurney he should release the report immediately. Before the hearing, former President Donald Trump’s lawyers make their first public statement in months and Trump himself posts on social media condemning the investigation and insisting once again he did nothing wrong. You can download the Breakdown podcast from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices