Updated 00:04 | Published 00:00
The judge sped up the testimony and gave cryptic statements.
An indictment against Donald Trump is expected any time now.
And this time it will look different for the former president.
Quick version
ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.
Show more
A fourth indictment against Donald Trump was presented – and withdrawn.
But it could soon become a reality for the former president.
Witnesses who were to be heard before the grand jury on Tuesday were allowed to come in earlier.
Speculation after the judge’s words
And Fulton County, Georgia, Judge Robert McBurney has hinted that the court may be working overtime on Monday.
– We need to keep this courtroom and this court open, he said on Monday.
The words indicate that a new indictment against ex-president Donald Trump is imminent and could possibly be made public as early as Monday night Swedish time, writes the New York Times.
Total confusion arose on Monday evening Swedish time when a document with charges against Donald Trump was released by the court in Georgia.
The document was quickly taken down without any further explanation as to what was behind the publication.
“Disgusting disaster”
The ex-president is being investigated by prosecutors for his attempts to change the election results in the state through influence campaigns against politicians and high officials.
Trump and his aides are also suspected of smearing election workers and making false allegations of voter fraud.
One of the prosecution’s main witnesses is Jeff Duncan, former lieutenant governor of Georgia.
On Monday, Donald Trump attacked his participation in the case on Truth Social.
“I barely know him, but right from the beginning of this witch hunt he was a nasty disaster for everyone investigating the election fraud that happened in Georgia,” writes Trump.
He also calls Duncan “very unpopular among Republicans” and “a loser.”
Can be prosecuted directly on television
Trump is already charged with 78 counts in three other indictments.
Two of them federal cases.
One concerns his attempt to stop the election results that ended in the storming of the Capitol. The second concerns the handling of classified documents after the time as president.
An indictment in New York concerns interference with the money porn star Stormy Daniels received to keep quiet about their alleged affair.
Each time, Trump has been forced to appear in court to have the charges read.
But if the grand jury in Georgia decides to indict, this time will look different.
It is likely that American voters will now for the first time follow everything live on television. Under Georgia law, cameras are normally always allowed during negotiations.
Hard to be pardoned
An indictment in Georgia may also differ from the other cases in another, more serious for Trump, way.
Many of the former president’s political opponents see his campaign to become president again as part of the defense against any impeachment.
As president, he is believed to be able to pardon himself and remain free if convicted in the federal cases. But against state judgments, the president does not have these powers.
And he also can’t convince Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to pardon him. In Georgia, unlike some other states, the governor does not have that option.