Trump Cancels News Conference on Alleged Georgia Election Fraud

Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 12, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Former President Donald Trump has canceled a press event set for Aug. 21 that he'd intended would unveil a “conclusive” report proving election fraud in Georgia.

Instead, his lawyers will present the findings as evidence in court, the former president announced on his social media site Truth Social.

“Rather than releasing the Report on the Rigged & Stolen Georgia 2020 Presidential Election on Monday, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable & Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud & Irregularities in formal Legal Filings as we fight to dismiss this disgraceful Indictment by a publicity & campaign finance seeking D.A., who sadly presides over a record breaking Murder & Violent Crime area, Atlanta,” he wrote.

“Therefore, the News Conference is no longer necessary!”

The decision followed an earlier announcement on Aug. 15 where President Trump said he would release a “large, complex, detailed” and “irrefutable” report.

He had planned the press conference to unveil the report at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Aug. 21.

“Based on the results of this conclusive report, all charges should be dropped against me and others—There will be a complete exoneration!” he previously wrote on Truth Social.

It comes after a grand jury voted to criminally charge President Trump and others on Aug. 14, with charges related to his efforts to dispute the 2020 election results in Georgia.

President Joe Biden had won Georgia by less than a quarter of a percentage point, becoming the first Democrat to win the state in 28 years. Georgia’s contested presidential election results were certified in favor of President Biden on Dec. 7, 2021, after three recounts that all yielded figures in his favor.

President Trump has repeatedly asserted that the 2020 election was affected by fraud and irregularities in multiple states, including in Georgia. He had also accused Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of being uncooperative in efforts to review and verify the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Mr. Kemp, in response to President Trump’s message on Truth Social, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward—under oath—and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.”

The criminal indictment filed against President Trump and others in Fulton County Superior Court (pdf) charges President Trump with 13 counts, including violation of the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit filing of false documents.

A total of 18 others were indicted, including President Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, his former attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, and attorney Sidney Powell. The indictment also includes multiple unindicted co-conspirators, which suggests more charges may follow.

Each of the 19 defendants faced a number of charges but were all charged on the RICO Act. A total of 41 charges were filed in the case.

Just as with an indictment filed earlier this month by special counsel Jack Smith, President Trump’s post-election challenges were described not as legitimate challenges, but rather as a criminal conspiracy.

The indictment accuses the defendants of having “joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.”

According to the indictment, the alleged conspiracy to challenge the 2020 election results extended beyond Georgia into other states, including Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she is allowing the defendants to voluntarily surrender by no later than noon on Aug. 25.

Ms. Willis is requesting a March 4, 2024, trial date, which would put President Trump, the Republican 2024 presidential frontrunner, on trial a day before he competes in the “Super Tuesday” primary contests.

Janice Hisle contributed to this report.