Trump persists in falsely claiming he won the November 2020 election although dozens of court cases and state probes have found no evidence to support his claim.
NOT HURTING HIS CAMPAIGN
Strategists said that while the indictments could bolster Republican support for Trump, they may hurt him in next year’s general election, when he will have to win over more independent-minded voters.
His lead over Republican presidential rivals has widened since the New York charges were filed in April, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
But in a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 37 per cent of independents said the criminal cases made them less likely to vote for him, compared to 8 per cent who said they were more likely to do so.
Willis’s investigation drew on testimony from Trump advisers including Giuliani, who urged state lawmakers in December 2020 not to certify the election, and allies like Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, who asked state officials to examine absentee ballots following Trump’s loss.
Republicans who have kept their distance from Trump, including Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, also testified.
While many Republican officials have echoed Trump’s false election claims, Kemp and Raffensperger have refused to do so.
Raffensperger has said there was no factual basis for Trump’s objections, while Kemp certified the election results despite pressure from within his party.
Both defeated Trump-backed primary challengers and easily won re-election in November 2022.
Voters in the state also might be less receptive to Trump’s complaints than elsewhere. Republican US Senate candidates who backed his false election claims narrowly lost runoff elections in January 2021 and December 2022, frustrating the party’s hopes of winning control of the chamber.
Trump has been mired in legal trouble since leaving office.
Apart from the criminal cases, a New York jury in May found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E Jean Carroll and awarded her US$5 million in a civil case. A trial is scheduled for Jan 15 on a second defamation lawsuit seeking US$10 million in damages. Trump denies wrongdoing.
Trump is due to face trial in October in a civil case in New York that accuses him and his family business of fraud to obtain better terms from lenders and insurers.
Trump’s company was fined US$1.6 million after being convicted of tax fraud in a New York court in December.
Source: CNA
