Trump’s Georgia indictment, his 4th, is one with serious consequences

The Fulton county case, however, is different. It is neither as light as the Manhattan case, nor can Trump, in the event of being elected president during or after the case, be able to either shut it down or pardon himself. It’s a state case and not subject to federal oversight or control and Georgia state pardon rules are extremely restrictive.

This was Trump’s fourth indictment, and brought up the cumulative aggregate of charges he is facing to 91 -- 34 counts in a case against him New York state for falsifying business records in connection to the payment of hush money to an adult film star; 4 in connection with federal case brought against him in connection to January 6 efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election; 40 charges in a second federal case in connection with his mishandling of official papers of his presidency, including confidential documents; and 13 charges filed against him by Fulton county for violating state laws on racketeering by working with 18 co-accused as an enterprise to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.

The Fulton County indictment should worry the former president the most, although he has responded to it with a characteristic response —  it’s a political witch-hunt and that the prosecutors are all Democrats or appointed by Democrats are biased.

The Fulton County DA announced the indictment of Trump and 18 allies, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and personal lawyer Rudi Giuliani, on 41 counts including violation of under Georgia states’ Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which is patterned on the federal law that has been used to shut down the mafia, calling indicted members an enterprise formed with the purpose of overturning Trump’s defeat in the 2020 elections.

If elected President in 2024, Trump may be able to shut down the two federal cases if they are still underway. But he won’t be able to do anything about the ones in New York and Georgia.

And if convicted, Trump will be able to grant presidential pardon to himself and all others  convicted along with him in the two federal cases.

Conviction in the Georgia case may lead to a significant jail term and he won’t be able to pardon himself because presidential pardons can be granted only to those convicted in federal cases.