The county court in Georgia where Donald Trump is expected to be charged this week briefly posted and then quickly removed a document on Monday detailing several charges against the former president over his alleged election interference in the state in 2020.
The document, which Reuters first reported came from the Fulton County court, includes Trump’s name and lists the case status as “open.” It is dated Aug. 14, and timed-stamped 12:39 p.m. The document lists 12 felony counts and one serious felony count for violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act. Charges had not been filed against Trump as of Monday evening.
Later on Monday afternoon, the Fulton County court clerk’s office, in a statement that Reuters and Georgia media outlets posted, said no documents had been filed that day regarding the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the case. The statement also referred to “a fictitious document that has been circulated online,” but did not say whether it was the same document containing the charges.
The county court clerk’s office did not respond to emails, texts and phone messages seeking comment about the document and Reuters’ reporting.
Trump’s lawyers on Monday evening responded to the reports about the document, casting blame on the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
“This was not a simple administrative mistake,” Trump attorneys Drew Findling and Jennifer Little said in a statement. “A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorney’s Office, yet it somehow made its way to the clerk’s office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated.”
The apparent publication and quick removal of the document comes as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appears to be on the verge of bringing criminal charges in her investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state.
On Saturday, witnesses confirmed that they would be appearing before the grand jury early this week. If Trump is charged, it would be his fourth indictment in the past five months as the former president looks to win the GOP presidential nomination and try to retake the White House.
Trump currently faces federal criminal charges related to his alleged interference in the 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents, as well as criminal charges in New York involving hush money payments.