Why Trump’s Georgia Indictment May Be The Hardest To Escape

Former President Donald Trump was indicted for the fourth time on Monday night, and this time he can’t pin his hopes on escaping punishment with a presidential pardon.

Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump with more than a dozen felonies tied to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state, ranging from conspiring to commit forgery to filing false documents to racketeering. Willis brought charges against him and 18 co-defendants under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO.

The fact that Trump is being charged with state crimes, and specifically under Georgia’s RICO law, means that his ace in the hole to avoid prosecution ― winning the 2024 presidential election ― isn’t likely to work in this case.