Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is now running for Senate in his home state in hopes of succeeding Dianne Feinstein, published remarks this Tuesday after a fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump was issued, this time in Georgia.
The latest charges, like his most recent indictment from Special Counsel Jack Smith at the federal Justice Department, cover various attempts made by Trump and allies of his after the last presidential election to secure another term despite his documented loss. Others charged in Georgia range from Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell to an individual who’s done publicity work associated with Ye, the infamous musical artist formerly known as Kanye West.
Trump’s own efforts in Georgia, infamously including a phone conversation with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump sought action on the 2020 election results, also involved other phone conversations and what effectively was support from others who’ve been charged. A purported slate of electoral votes from the state was assembled, false statements were made to state legislators, and then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows (who’s also charged) showed up to the site of a signature review as pressure from Trump’s team kept mounting.
“The reason I wanted to present the Georgia hearing for our Jan 6 Committee was because it provided such direct evidence of Trump’s role in the plot,” Schiff argued this week. “You don’t have to ask “what did the president know and when did he know it”, when the president is laying it all out in recorded phone calls. So why does yet another indictment matter? Trump attempted to stay in power after losing his re-election. That has never happened before in our history. If he is allowed to escape accountability for that, other presidents will attempt to do the same.”
On Trump’s side, the reactions have been characteristically extreme. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted an image of an American flag turned upside down, implying the United States was in a state of existential crisis.
With this new Georgia indictment, our democracy and the rule of law will again be put to a test.
And just like the DOJ’s last indictment, what stands out to me is how closely the facts set out in the indictment track the evidence we uncovered on the Jan 6th Committee.
🧵: 1/8
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 15, 2023
