ATLANTA — Former president Donald Trump's latest indictment in Florida comes as he awaits a charging decision in Fulton County following a special purpose grand jury investigation into whether Trump and his allies meddled in the 2020 election.
The former president released a video Thursday responding to the indictment news maintaining his innocence, "we're going to prove it very soundly and hopefully very quickly.”
Trump is facing a string of inquiries in multiple states including in Georgia as he pursues his second term in the White House.
For the past two years, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating the former president. Willis is expected to make a decision by August on whether to file charges.
She also released a letter announcing dates she and her staff would be out of the office and advising local law enforcement to prepare for heightened security.
Emory Law Professor and former federal prosecutor, Lynsey Barron, believes this latest indictment could put more of a spotlight on Fulton County, but doubts it would impact D.A. Willis's timeline.
“There’s really no way that a judge in Florida would detain him at this point," Barron said. "And so he's going to be free to come up to Georgia and answer charges in Fulton County. So I don't see this impacting or delaying her decision at all."
More than a dozen state leaders testified in front of the Fulton County special grand jury including Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr. The foreperson later revealed the panel recommended multiple indictments. It's now up to Willis to decide on whether to pursue criminal charges.