All eyes now on Fulton County DA after Trump arraigned on charges of falsifying records in New York

ATLANTA — As the legal drama unfolded in a New York City courtroom Tuesday where former President Donald Trump was arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records, here in Fulton County we are still waiting to see if District Attorney Fani Willis will charge the former president as well.

Trump said nothing as he walked into a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday afternoon to face a 34-count indictment for allegedly falsifying business documents, which is normally a misdemeanor.

But Emory University law professor Fred Smith said if Trump falsified those records to cover up hush money payments in violation of campaign finance laws, it becomes much more serious.

“In the state of New York, it is a crime to falsify business records and if one falsifies business records as an attempt to cover up a crime, then it becomes a felony,” Smith said.

Now, all eyes are also on Willis’ investigation into possible criminal interference in Georgia’s 2020 election, a case many believe is stronger than the one in Manhattan.

“My ultimate guess is that Donald Trump will be indicted here in Atlanta,” said Anthony Michael Kreis, Georgia State University law professor.

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Kreis told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that while the potential Fulton County case may appear stronger than New York’s, any felony charge is a serious one.

He expects Trump and others could face felony charges here in Georgia as well.

“I think it’s just a matter of when and not if charges will be brought here in Fulton County,” Kreis said.

Smith isn’t as convinced a Fulton County grand jury will indict Trump, but he also expects charges in the election case.

“There’s a lot there without directly implicating the president necessarily, right? So, it’s too early to know whether or not he is a target,” Smith said.

So, when will we find out about potential criminal indictments in the Fulton County case?

The DA’s office won’t say.

But some lawyers think we could see some movement in this case before the end of spring.

RELATED NEWS:

Trump legal team files motion to have grand jury report quashed, DA removed from case The motion said the former president doesn’t think a special purpose grand jury, the district attorney, or the judge overseeing it were fair.

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