Donald Trump indictments, 2023-2025

Donald Trump indictments, 2023-2025
New York prosecution
Defendant: Donald Trump (R) Prosecutor: Alvin Bragg (D) Judge: Juan Merchan Court: New York Supreme Court
Important datesSentencing: January 10, 2025 Verdict: May 30, 2024 Trial: April 15, 2024 Arraignment: April 4, 2023 Indictment: March 30, 2023
Federal prosecution (classified documents case)
Defendant: Donald Trump (R) Prosecutor: Jack Smith Judge: Aileen Cannon Court: Southern District of Florida
Important datesAppeal dismissed: Nov. 26, 2024 Case dismissed: July 15, 2024 Arraignment: June 13, 2023 Indictment: June 8, 2023
Federal prosecution (2020 election certification case)
Defendant: Donald Trump (R) Prosecutor: Jack Smith Judge: Tanya S. Chutkan Court: United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Important datesCase dismissed: November 25, 2024 Arraignment: August 3, 2023 Indictment: August 1, 2023
Georgia prosecution
Defendant: Donald Trump (R) Prosecutor: N/A (formerly Fani Willis (D)) Judge: Scott McAfee Court: Fulton County Superior Court
Important datesTrial: TBD Arraignment: Waived Indictment: August 14, 2023
See also Noteworthy criminal misconduct in American politics (2023-2024) • Impeachment of Donald Trump, 2021 • Impeachment of Donald Trump, 2019-2020

Former President Donald Trump (R) was indicted in four separate criminal cases after leaving office in January 2021. Across these four indictments, Trump was charged with a total of 88 criminal counts. Click here to read more.

On May 30, 2024, former President Donald Trump (R) was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The trial began on April 15. The indictment was released in March 2023. To read more about this trial, click here.

In June 2023, Trump was indicted on 37 federal criminal charges related to his handling of classified government documents. The prosecution added three additional criminal charges to the case the following month. The trial began on August 14, 2023. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case on July 15, 2024. The prosecution withdrew its appeal of this decision following Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election. To read more about this indictment, click here.

In August 2023, Trump was indicted on four federal criminal charges related to interference in the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment's presentation of the charges was revised in 2024 following a Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity. U.S. Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the case on November 25, 2024, following Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election. To read more about this indictment, click here.

In August 2023, Trump was indicted in Georgia on 13 criminal counts related to interference in the 2020 election in Georgia. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee struck three of these charges for lack of specificity, and another two for violating the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause. To read more about this indictment, click here.

Overview

Across Trump's four indictments, he has been charged with a total of 88 criminal counts. As of December 10, 2024, he has been found guilty of 34 criminal counts and 44 charges were dismissed. See the table below for a full list of charges in each case and how Trump has pleaded. Click [show] next to each list of counts to view the specific charges.

Trump indictments overview
Case	Counts	Total charges	Plea	Verdicts
New York indictment	Counts 1-34   Counts 1-34: Falsifying business records in the first degree	34	Not guilty	Guilty of 34 counts
Federal indictment (classified documents case)	Counts 1-38, 40, 41   Counts 1-32: Willful retention of national defense information Count 33: Conspiracy to obstruct justice Count 34: Witholding a document or record Count 35: Corruptly concealing a document or record Count 36: Concealing a document in a federal investigation Count 37: Scheme to conceal Count 38: False statements and representations Count 40: Altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing an object Count 41: Corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing a document, record, or other object	40	Not guilty	Case dismissed
Federal indictment (2020 election certification case)	Counts 1-4   Count 1: Conspiracy to defraud the United States Count 2: Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding Count 3: Obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official Count 4: Conspiracy against rights	4	Not guilty	Case dismissed
Georgia indictment	Counts 1, 9, 11, 13, 17, 19, 29, 39   Count 1: Violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act Count 5: Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer Count 9: Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer Count 11: Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree Count 13: Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings Count 17: Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree Count 19: Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings Count 28: Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer Count 29: False statements and writings Count 38: Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer Count 39: False statements and writings	8	Not guilty	TBD
Total		86		Guilty: 34 Dismissed: 44

New York indictment

See also: New York prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2025

On May 30, 2024, a Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump (R) guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, making Trump the first U.S. president to ever be indicted on and convicted of felony crimes after his time in office. Trump's sentencing took place on January 10, 2025. Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge, meaning Trump would have the conviction on his record, but the sentence carried no jail time, fines, or probation.

Trump responded to the sentence, saying, "The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt." Trump said he would appeal the ruling. Trump's legal team can file a notice of appeal within 30 days of his sentencing date, and the appeal would be heard by a New York Appellate Division court.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) announced the grand jury criminal indictment of Trump on March 30, 2023, . The indictment was unsealed on April 4, showing that the grand jury had voted to charge Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The trial began on April 15, 2024. Judge Juan Merchan presided over the grand jury and the case.

Timeline

The section below provides a timeline of events related to the indictment of Trump in the state of New York. To see a more detailed overview of trial proceedings, click here.

• January 10, 2025: Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge.
• January 9, 2025: The Supreme Court declined to block Trump's sentencing.
• December 17, 2024: Judge Juan Merchan ruled that the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States did not nullify the conviction in this case.
• November 22, 2024: Judge Juan Merchan delayed Trump's sentencing, pending filings related to a motion to dismiss. The defense's filing was due on December 2, and the prosecution's filing was due on December 9, 2024.
• September 6, 2024: Judge Juan Merchan delayed Trump's delayed Trump's sentencing from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26 to allow for an appeal related to the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States to be settled.
• June 25, 2024: Merchan partially lifted the gag order in this case, allowing public statements about witnesses and the jury in the trial.
• May 30, 2024: The jury found Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records.
• May 29, 2024: The jury began deliberating on a verdict. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• May 28, 2024: The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• May 21, 2024: The defense finished calling witnesses to the stand. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• May 20, 2024: The prosecution finished calling witnesses to the stand, and the defense began calling witnesses. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• May 6, 2024: Merchan found that Trump had violated the gag order in this case. Merchan fined Trump $1,000. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• April 30, 2024: Merchan found that Trump had violated the gag order in this case nine times. Merchan fined Trump $9,000. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• April 22, 2024: The prosecution and defense delivered opening statements. The prosecution's witnesses began taking the stand. Click here to read more about the daily trial proceedings.
• April 19, 2024: Jury selection was completed.
• April 15, 2024: The trial began. The first day of the trial included hearings on pre-trial motions and the start of jury selection.
• April 1, 2024: Merchan expanded an order limiting public statements Trump can make about individuals involved with the case. Trump was barred from making certain statements about Bragg's and Merchan's families.
• March 26, 2024: Merchan issued an order limiting public statements Trump can make about court staff, jurors, witnesses, lawyers in the district attorney's office, and their families.
• March 25, 2024: Merchan held a hearing to determine whether the trial date should be further delayed. Merchan confirmed the trial would begin on April 15, 2024.
• March 15, 2024: Merchan delayed the start of the trial by 30 days following the disclosure of more than 100,000 additional pages of records. He stated a new date would be set if more time was necessary to review the pages.
• February 15, 2024: Trump attended a hearing regarding trial scheduling. Merchan confirmed the trial would begin on March 25 with jury selection.
• May 8, 2023: Merchan issued a ruling saying parties to the case who receive evidence provided by the defense, including Trump, "shall not copy, disseminate, or disclose the Covered Materials, in any form or by any means, to any third party (except to those employed by counsel to assist in the defense of the above-captioned criminal proceeding) including, but not limited to, by disseminating or posting the Covered Materials to any news or social media platforms, including, but not limited, to Truth Social, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, or YouTube, without prior approval from the Court." Merchan said Trump could still make general public comments about the case.
• May 4, 2023: Merchan heard arguments regarding whether the court should limit public comments from participants in the case, including from Trump, about the evidence in the case.
• April 4, 2023: Trump was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. The indictment was unsealed, showing the grand jury had voted to indict Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
• March 30, 2023: Bragg issued a statement saying the grand jury had indicted Trump on criminal charges.
• March 18, 2023: Trump posted on Truth Social saying he expected to be arrested in relation to this case on March 21.
• January 2023: The grand jury for this case was empaneled.
• December 6, 2022: The Trump Organization was found guilty of 17 counts of tax fraud in a jury trial before the New York Supreme Court 1st Judicial District. Bragg led the prosecution in the case and Judge Juan Merchan presided over the trial.
• January 1, 2022: Bragg assumed office as Manhattan District Attorney.

Text of the indictment

Text of the New York indictment (click to expand)

The section below provides the text of the indictment released on April 4, 2023.

Federal indictment (classified documents case)

See also: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2024 (classified documents case)

A federal grand jury charged Former President Donald Trump (R) with 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents in June and July 2023. Trump pleaded not guilty. This was the first federal indictment of a former U.S. president.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case on July 15, 2024, on the grounds that special counsel Jack Smith's appointment violated the Appointments Clause and the Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Smith filed an appeal, but later withdrew the appeal after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

The court unsealed the original indictment on June 9, 2023, which contained 37 criminal counts. A superseding indictment was released on July 27, 2023, and added three additional charges, resulting in a total of forty criminal counts. Thirty-two counts were on the willful retention of national defense information. The other counts included:

• conspiracy to obstruct justice;
• withholding a document or record;
• corruptly concealing a document or record;
• concealing a document in a federal investigation;
• scheme to conceal;
• false statements and representations;
• attempting to alter, destroy, or conceal evidence; and
• compelling another individual to alter, destroy, or conceal evidence.

Timeline

The section below provides a timeline of events related to the federal indictment of Trump.

• November 26, 2024: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the appeal at Smith's request after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.
• July 17, 2024: Smith filed a notice of appeal.
• July 15, 2024: Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case, granting a motion to dismiss from Trump's legal team that argued special counsel Jack Smith's appointment violated the Appointments Clause and the Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
• May 7, 2024: Judge Aileen Cannon postponed the trial indefinitely.
• March 14, 2024: Trump attended a hearing regarding motions to dismiss filed by Trump's legal team.
• February 12, 2024: Trump attended a private hearing regarding whether some classified material could be withheld from discovery.
• July 27, 2023: Smith released a superseding indictment in the case, adding three criminal charges to the indictment.
• July 21, 2023: Cannon set the jury trial start date for May 20, 2024.
• June 13, 2023: Trump pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in U.S. district court in Miami regarding the federal indictment. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman presided over the arraignment and bond hearing.
• June 10, 2023: Cannon was assigned as the lead judge on the case.
• June 9, 2023: The indictment against Trump was unsealed. The document contained 37 criminal counts.
• June 8, 2023: Trump announced that he had been indicted by a grand jury in Miami on seven federal criminal charges for his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
• November 18, 2022: Garland appointed Smith as special counsel.
• August 9, 2022: Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executed a search warrant on Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago as part of an investigation into whether Trump brought classified documents there after he left office in January 2021.
• March 2022: The Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into whether Trump was improperly storing classified materials.
• January 2022: The National Archives and Records Administration notified the United States Department of Justice that it had identified classified national security information among records Trump transferred to NARA.

Text of the indictment

Text of the federal indictment (classified documents case) (click to expand)

Superseding indictment (7/27/2023)

The section below provides the text of the superseding indictment released on July 27, 2023.

Initial indictment (6/9/2023)

The section below provides the text of the indictment released on June 9, 2023.

Federal indictment (2020 election certification case)

See also: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2024 (2020 election certification case)

A federal grand jury charged former President Donald Trump (R) with four criminal counts related to the certification of the 2020 presidential election in August 2023. Trump pleaded not guilty. Judge Tanya S. Chutkan oversaw the proceedings.

Special counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the case without prejudice on November 25, 2024. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the criminal prosecution of a sitting president, and Donald Trump (R) won the 2024 presidential election on November 5. In his filing, Smith wrote "That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind."

In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled on Trump's claim of presidential immunity in the case, saying in a 6-3 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts that presidents have absolute immunity for core constitutional powers and no immunity for unofficial actions. The case was remanded to a lower court to determine which charges in the indictment could proceed. Smith released a superseding indictment on August 27, 2024, which maintained the same charges against Trump with an adjusted presentation to adhere to the Supreme Court's ruling.

The original indictment was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. It included the following charges alleged against Trump:

• conspiracy to defraud the United States "by using dishonesty, fraud and deceit to obstruct the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election;"
• conspiracy to obstruct the certification of the electoral vote on January 6, 2021;
• obstruction of the certification of the electoral vote on January 6, 2021; and
• conspiracy "to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate one or more persons in the free exercise and enjoyment of" the right to vote and have one's vote counted.

In November 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to investigate whether any individual or entity "unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021." Before this appointment, Smith served as a chief prosecutor for the special court in The Hague, Netherlands, where he investigated war crimes in Kosovo.

Timeline

The section below provides a timeline of events related to the federal indictment of Trump on charges related to the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

• November 25, 2024: Special counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the case. Chutkan formally dismissed the case the same day.
• August 27, 2024: Special counsel Jack Smith released a superseding indictment in the case. The superseding indictment charged Trump with the same crimes, but adjusted the presentation of the charges to adhere to the Supreme Court's ruling.
• July 1, 2024: The Supreme Court ruled on Trump's presidential immunity claim. In a 6-3 opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court ruled that a former president has absolute immunity for core constitutional powers and the presumption of immunity for official acts. The court ruled there is no immunity for unofficial acts. The court remanded the case to a lower court to determine which charges in the indictment could proceed. Click here to read more about the case.
• April 25, 2024: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Trump's presidential immunity claim.
• February 28, 2024: The Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear the case regarding Trump's immunity claim.
• February 12, 2024: Trump's legal team asked the Supreme Court of the United States to stay the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit's ruling against Trump's presidential immunity motion to dismiss. Smith filed a response to the appeal on February 15.
• February 6, 2024: A three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously against Trump's presidential immunity motion to dismiss.
• February 2, 2024: The original trial date of March 4, 2024, was removed from the court's calendar, meaning the trial would likely be rescheduled pending the resolution of the appeals process for the presidential immunity motion to dismiss.
• December 22, 2023: The Supreme Court of the United States rejected Jack Smith's request asking the court to immediately review the Trump legal team's motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
• December 13, 2023: Chutkan issued a stay in the case pending the resolution of the appeal process for the Trump legal team's motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
• December 11, 2023: Jack Smith submitted a request to the Supreme Court of the United States asking the court to immediately review the Trump legal team's motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity. The Supreme Court said it would consider Smith's request.
• December 8, 2023: A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously ruled to uphold most of Chutkan's order prohibiting parties in the case from making public statements about individuals associated with the case. The panel lifted the restrictions on statements about Jack Smith and some statements about potential witnesses. It also said Trump can't make statements about staff members and personnel's or potential witness' participation in the trial, but could speak about them broadly.
• December 1, 2023: Chutkan rejected the Trump legal team's motion seeking to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
• October 29, 2023: Chutkan reinstated the order prohibiting parties in the case from making public statements about Jack Smith and his staff, the defense counsel and his staff, court staff and personnel, or any reasonably foreseeable witness or the substance of their testimony.
• October 20, 2023: Chutkan stayed the order prohibiting parties in the case from making public statements about Jack Smith and his staff, the defense counsel and his staff, court staff and personnel, or any reasonably foreseeable witness or the substance of their testimony.
• October 17, 2023: Chutkan issued an order prohibiting parties in the case from making public statements about Jack Smith and his staff, the defense counsel and his staff, court staff and personnel, or any reasonably foreseeable witness or the substance of their testimony.
• October 5, 2023: Trump's counsel filed a motion seeking to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
• August 28, 2023: Chutkan set a date of March 4, 2024, for Trump's federal 2020 election certification trial.
• August 11, 2023: Chutkan modified a protective order limiting the extent to which parties to the case can speak publicly about evidence. She limited the order to sensitive materials, rather than all materials given to the defense. Trump's lawyers requested the modification in an August 7 filing.
• August 3, 2023: Trump pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.
• August 1, 2023: The indictment was unsealed. The document contained four criminal counts.
• December 22, 2022: The House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol made criminal referrals to the U.S. Department of Justice against Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, and Kenneth Chesebro. The charges referred were inciting insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an act of Congress, and one charge not specified at the time of the committee hearing.
• November 18, 2022: Garland appointed Smith as special counsel.
• June 24, 2021: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the formation of a select committee to investigate the root causes of the breach of the U.S. Capitol and general security issues related to the incident. For more detailed coverage of the committee's activities, click here.
• January 7, 2021: Congress reconvened and certified the Electoral College results.
• January 6, 2021: Congress convened to certify the Electoral College results. Both chambers recessed after pro-Trump demonstrators entered the U.S. Capitol. For a more detailed timeline of events on January 6, 2021, click here.
• December 14, 2020: Election results were finalized. Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election with 306 electoral college votes to Trump's 232.
• November 7, 2020: Media outlets identified Biden as the projected winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Text of the indictment

Text of the federal indictment (2020 election certification case) (click to expand)

Superseding indictment (August 27, 2024)

The section below provides the text of the superseding indictment released on August 27, 2024.

Original indictment (August 1, 2023)

The section below provides the text of the indictment released on August 1, 2023.

Georgia indictment

See also: Georgia prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2024

Former President Donald Trump (R) was indicted on 13 criminal charges related to interference in the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Trump pleaded not guilty on August 31. Judge Scott McAfee struck three of these charges for lack of specificity on March 13, 2024, and struck an additional two charges based on the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause on September 12, 2024.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) filed the indictment in Fulton Superior Court in Georgia, but the Georgia Court of Appeals removed her from the case on December 19, 2025. Before Trump assumed office as the 47th president, the case was heard by Judge Scott McAfee.

The indictment was unsealed on August 14, 2023, the same day it was announced that the grand jury had voted to issue an indictment. It included the following charges against Trump:

• violation of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act;
• conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, to commit first degree forgery, to commit false statements and writings, and to file false documents;
• filing false documents; and
• issuing false statements and writings.

The indictment included a total of 41 criminal counts related to interference in Georgia's 2020 presidential election results against 19 defendants, including Trump, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, and Georgia State Senator Shawn Still (R), among others. McAfee struck six of these counts in March 2024 due to lack of specificity. To view a full list of defendants and the charges issued against each, click here.

Trump's campaign issued a statement shortly before the indictment was released, saying, "GA's radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments. [...] They are taking away President Trump's First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time."

In a press conference after the indictment was released, Willis said, "I remind everyone here that an indictment is only a series of allegations based on a grand jury's determination of probable cause to support the charges. It is now the duty of my office to prove these charges in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt at trial."

The indictment followed a special grand jury investigation into whether Trump and his allies attempted to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The grand jury convened in May 2022, and completed its investigation in January 2023.

Timeline

The section below provides a timeline of events related to the indictment of Trump in the state of Georgia.

• December 19, 2024: The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled to remove Willis from the case.
• September 12, 2024: McAfee struck Counts 14, 15, and 27 from the indictment. Trump had been charged on two of these counts. McAfee ruled the charges should be thrown out based on the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause.
• June 5, 2024: The Georgia Court of Appeals stayed proceedings in this case pending the resolution of an appeal related to whether Willis should be allowed to continue in her role as prosecutor.
• March 15, 2024: McAfee ruled that either Willis and her office or special prosecutor Nathan Wade would be permitted to continue with the prosecution if the other withdrew from the case. The same day, Wade resigned, allowing Willis and her office to continue with the prosecution.
• March 13, 2024: McAfee struck Counts 2, 5, 6, 23, 28, and 38 from the indictment. Trump had been charged on three of these counts. Defendants challenged the specificity of the charges, which all related to solicitation of violation of oath of office. McAfee ruled the charges lacked specificity and struck them from the indictment, but said the prosecution could refile the charges.
• February 2, 2024: Willis filed a response to the motion requesting her removal from the case that said Willis did not have a personal relationship with Wade at the time of his appointment, that the personal relationship that developed between Willis and Wade did not constitute a conflict of interest, and that "the personal relationship between Special Prosecutor Wade and District Attorney Willis has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis."
• January 8, 2024: An attorney defending Michael Roman filed a motion alleging that Fani Willis (D) improperly hired Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor because they were in a romantic relationship at the time of his hiring and that Willis had benefitted financially from hiring Wade. The motion requested that the Willis, Wade, and Willis' office be disqualified from prosecuting the case.
• October 24, 2023: Defendant Jenna Ellis entered a guilty plea to one felony count as part of a plea deal, meaning she will not go to trial.
• October 20, 2023: Defendant Kenneth Chesebro entered a guilty plea to one felony count as part of a plea deal, meaning he will not go to trial.
• October 19, 2023: Defendant Sidney Powell entered a guilty plea to six misdemeanor counts as part of a plea deal, meaning she will not go to trial.
• September 29, 2023: Defendant Scott Hall entered a guilty plea to five misdemeanor counts as part of a plea deal, meaning he will not go to trial.
• September 14, 2023: Judge Scott McAfee granted a request from Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro to sever their trial from that of the 17 other defendants in the case. Their trial was scheduled to begin October 23, 2023.
• August 31, 2023: Trump waived his right to appear at an arraignment, pleading not guilty to the charges via a court filing.
• August 24, 2023: Trump appeared in Georgia to be booked on his charges.
• August 14, 2023: The indictment was unsealed. It contained a total of 41 charges against 19 defendants. Trump was charged with 13 criminal counts.
• January 9, 2023: Fulton County Superior Judge Robert C. McBurney announced the special grand jury investigation was complete.
• May 2, 2022: The members were selected for a special grand jury investigating whether Trump or others interfered in the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
• February 10, 2021: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) announced her office would launch a criminal investigation into whether Trump or his allies attempted to change the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
• December 7, 2020: After a machine recount of the presidential election results in Georgia was completed on December 4 with no change in the outcome of the election identified, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) re-certified the election results.
• November 20, 2020: Media outlets identified Joe Biden (D) as the winner of the presidential election in Georgia following a hand-count audit of ballots cast in the presidential election. Biden defeated Trump 49.5% to 49.3%.

Text of the indictment

Text of the Georgia indictment (click to expand)

The section below provides the text of the indictment released on August 15, 2023.

McAfee ruling striking six counts from the indictment (March 13, 2024)

McAfee ruling striking three counts from the indictment (September 12, 2024)

History of U.S. presidents and criminal charges

Was this the first time a former U.S. president was charged with a criminal offense? Yes. The New York indictment was the first time in American history that a U.S. president was charged with a criminal offense after leaving office.

A former U.S. president has been previously named in an indictment, but was not charged in the indictment. In 1974, Richard Nixon (R) was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the grand jury indictment responding to Watergate. The special prosecutor did not charge Nixon after he resigned from office because Gerald Ford (R), his successor, issued a blanket pardon for Nixon's actions in relation to Watergate.

Presidents have faced criminal charges before and during their presidencies. George W. Bush (R) pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in 1976, twenty-four years before he first ran for president in 2000. Ulysses S. Grant (R) was charged with speeding in a horse-drawn carriage in 1872, his fourth year in office as president. A president has also faced a civil suit while in office. Bill Clinton (D) was sued for allegations of sexual harassment in 1997. The case was settled out of court the following year.

The United States House of Representatives has also approved articles of impeachment against sitting presidents five times in United States history. The first was against Andrew Johnson (Union) in 1868, the second was against Nixon in 1974, the third was against Clinton in 1998, and the fourth and fifth were against Trump in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Johnson, Clinton, and Trump were each acquitted by the Senate, and Nixon resigned before the Senate could vote on his impeachment.

Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute defines impeachment as a quasi-criminal proceeding. The process by which the House draws up articles of impeachment bears some similarity to the process by which a grand jury approves an indictment in that the prosecution presents a case to a group of people who then vote on whether or not to charge the individual in question. However, there are several key differences between an impeachment and a criminal proceeding. The stakes for an accused individual in an impeachment proceeding are whether or not that individual can continue to serve in office, while the stakes in a criminal proceeding can involve loss of property, liberty, or life. Because of this, many of the legal protections and guidelines that apply in a criminal case, such as the right to a lawyer for the accused, the ability to strike possibly biased members from a jury, or the beyond a reasonable doubt evidentiary standard, do not apply to impeachment proceedings.

What a grand jury does

A grand jury is defined as "a group of people who look at the evidence against someone who has been accused of a crime in order to decide if there should be a trial."

Prosecutors present evidence to a grand jury, which decides whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed. Grand juries are made up of 16 to 23 people, who serve for a period of one month up to one year.

Federal grand jury sessions are held in private, usually not in the presence of the alleged criminal. Grand juries may request additional evidence such as witness testimony or documents to investigate on their own unimpeded by outside influence.

The Supreme Court case United States v. Williams (1992) said that a grand jury is "a kind of buffer or referee between the Government and the people." It decides if there is enough evidence to formally charge a suspect with a crime.

See also

• Noteworthy criminal misconduct in American politics (2023-2024)
• Donald Trump
• New York prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2025
• Federal prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2024 (classified documents case)
• Federal prosecution of Donald Trump, 2023-2024 (2020 election certification case)
• Impeachment of Donald Trump, 2021
• Impeachment of Donald Trump, 2019-2020

Footnotes

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Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond • Erica Shumaker
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Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

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Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams. Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Jaime Healy-Plotkin • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox