Those seeking reflected grandeur are always attracted to the president. And Donald Trump’s rowdy royal court, famous for open doors to the Oval Office, was a parade of characters one wouldn’t expect to see in the presence of the president.
Just before midnight on Monday, however, 18 of Trump’s former aides, officials, lawyers, and colleagues were indicted alongside him for their efforts to disrupt the 2020 election in Georgia. This was the price they had to pay for being so close to power during the most scandalous presidency in modern history. They were the most recent members of the former president’s inner circle to learn that they were risking legal trouble by interacting with Trump. Their customer has always gotten away scot-free, or so it has seemed. But Trump is now facing an unprecedented and questionable record for an ex-president: 91 criminal accusations in four different indictments.
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and a hero for stepping in to provide national leadership in the wake of the greatest terror assault on American soil, is one of the co-defendants in the Fulton County case. Ironically, Giuliani is being charged with violating Georgia racketeering laws, the federal version of which he used as a high-powered and pioneering prosecutor who took down mafia dons and their networks in the 1980s. Giuliani later served as Trump’s attorney and political fixer, most notably in events in Ukraine that led to Trump’s first impeachment. Other charges against the man once known as “America’s mayor” include making false statements and conspiring to impersonate a public official.
According to a report from AWN on Tuesday, Giuliani is in financial trouble due to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees he faces as a result of his involvement in several other cases and his role in amplifying Trump’s false claims of fraud following the 2020 election in a series of bizarre and unhinged appearances. On Tuesday, though, the archetypal New York City bruiser stood by his actions, saying, “I’m the same Rudy Giuliani that came after the mafia,” justifying them as those of an attorney legally supporting his client. “I’m anxious to fight this case,” he remarked on WABC. Say it with me now: “We’re going to beat these fascists into the ground.”
The House select committee that looked into the riot on January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol, also brought charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, a former member of the House Freedom Caucus from North Carolina. Meadows was portrayed as a nexus of Trump’s election meddling effort. Normally, Washington would be rocked to its foundations by the indictment of the senior White House officer, whose duty it was to be the gatekeeper to the president. He was supposed to be safeguarding the president, but for months now, historic criminal charges have been echoing through the nation’s capital. On Tuesday, Meadows followed in the footsteps of the former president and filed paperwork to transfer his case from Fulton County, Georgia to the federal system. If Trump or another Republican is elected president, they may be able to pardon those convicted in federal court who were not eligible for clemency in state court.
The reason Meadows was prosecuted in Georgia but not in the federal investigation into Trump’s efforts to steal the election led by special counsel Jack Smith is the subject of increasing controversy. It has been speculated by legal experts that the former president may be collaborating with that investigation.
John Eastman, a former attorney for Trump, is also among those indicted in Georgia. He allegedly tried to persuade then-Vice President Mike Pence that he could influence the congressional certification of election results. Eastman’s lawyer Harvey Silverglate said Tuesday that the charge in Fulton County was an attempt to make legal advocacy illegal. This, he warned, was a “legal cluster-bomb” that would leave lawyers with a minefield of unenforced regulations for the rest of time.
According to Smith’s federal indictment, Sidney Powell was also accused for making false charges of election fraud that Trump himself admitted sounded “crazy” to others. She faces racketeering and conspiracy charges.
Since none of the defendants, including Trump, have entered pleas in the case, they are all presumed innocent unless proven guilty. All of them may have to spend months, if not years, in court for what could be a very complicated case, which could result in enormous legal fees, extreme personal stress, and possible jail time if they are found guilty. On three prior felony charges, Trump has entered not guilty pleas.
There have been legal issues for a long time for Trump’s inner circle.
Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia case are not the first to learn the hard way about the perils of ignoring the norms and protocols that ordinarily restrain presidents. Trump previously said he would only bring “the best people” to Washington, yet his followers are frequently caught up in legal storms caused by him.
For instance, the probe into Trump’s mismanagement of national security documents has drawn in other members of Trump’s inner circle, including his personal adviser Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira. There has been a change of plea from both men.
Some of Trump’s early supporters ended up in legal trouble, though usually not for anything they did with the future president. Instead, they were targeted by investigators looking into unrelated Trump-related matters. Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, was given a 47-month federal prison term for bank and tax fraud and tax evasion related to his millions in revenue from Ukrainian political consulting.
Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador in 2017. Both had became entangled in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016.
After ignoring a subpoena to appear before a House committee on January 6, former Trump political adviser Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. He is challenging his conviction in court. In 2019, Bannon will go to trial in New York City on charges of fundraising fraud. Bannon and others have been accused by prosecutors of using fraudulent methods to raise money for a project titled “We Build the Wall.” Bannon faces many accusations of conspiracy, money laundering, and fraud, all of which he has denied.
After testifying as the state’s witness against the Trump Organisation, former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail in January of this year for his role in a decade-long tax fraud scheme.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney and self-described fixer, is perhaps the most well-known example of a member of Trump’s inner circle falling into legal trouble. Cohen pleaded guilty to nine federal crimes, including tax fraud, lying to Congress, and campaign finance violations, for his role in arranging payments to silence two women who threatened to go public with allegations of affairs they had with Trump before the 2016 election. Cohen, unlike many of Trump’s friends who got in trouble with the law, pointed the finger squarely at Trump, saying he arranged the payoffs “in coordination with and at the direction of Trump.” After being indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a case stemming from a hush payment to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, the former president is scheduled to go on trial in March despite his denial of the affairs.
Given the enormous number of people indicted in the Georgia case, Trump has good reason to be concerned that some of them will try to benefit themselves by cooperating with prosecutors. Trump has already been able to buy the loyalty of business associates and has made lavish use of his pardon powers as president. For example, in one of his final acts as president, Obama granted Bannon a pardon for a prior federal fraud case. His previous pardons included Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Roger Stone, a close confidant.
Although Trump may be tempted to dangle pardon offers based on the potential of his winning the president in 2024, as a private citizen he is no longer in a position to reward such devotion among his inner circle. However, the founders’ insistence on a separation of powers means that even if he is reelected, federal pardons won’t assist exonerate associates caught up in the Georgia case. Sources told AWN last month that during the first half of the year, Trump’s leadership PAC, Save America, spent more than $40 million on legal bills for the ex-president and his friends.
District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, who said on Monday that she intends to try all 19 defendants at the same time, has brought attention to the vast network of supporters who allegedly aided Trump in his efforts to undermine the democratic process. But with such a lengthy list of accusations, the lawsuit may not make it to court until after the 2024 election has already taken place.
It may take Willis two years to bring the massive racketeering case to court, former Trump attorney Ty Cobb told AWN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday.
“If it takes two years, heaven forbid that Trump wins the presidency, then there will be a fight to the Supreme Court over whether she can proceed against a sitting president during his term,” Cobb said, adding that while federal prosecutors could not pursue a president during his term, the capacity of state prosecutors to do so had not yet been resolved.
