CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said Tuesday that it was “kind of shocking” to see former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani indicted in Georgia.
A grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump late Monday night for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. 18 others, including Trump allies Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark and Kenneth Chesebro, were indicted along with the former president.
During Tuesday’s CNN segment, Honig attempted to classify the defendants.
“Let’s break them down into categories. Trump is his own category, but Mark Meadows, this was a shocker to me because he’s not charged in Jack Smith’s case,” Honig said, referring to the federal indictment Trump faces for allegedly attempting to overturn the election results. “He’s not one of the six co-conspirators in Jack Smith’s case. He is charged here but in a fairly limited capacity. He’s charged in the RICO, he’s also charged for that call to Raffensperger. The lawyers, eight lawyers charged in one state,” Honig said, noting that Giuliani, Eastman, Powell, Clark and Chesebro were also named as co-conspirators in Smith’s case.
“Jeffrey Clark, worth noting, was a DOJ official. Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani — all former former prosecutors. That’s kind of shocking to see,” Honig added. (RELATED: CNN Legal Analyst Elie Honig Lays Out Disadvantages In Georgia Trump Indictments)
Host John Berman then asked whether having 18 other defendants might “raise the possibility that some of these people could flip?”
“Oh exponentially. And what you want to do, ideally in a situation like this, is get people to flip up the chain towards the boss,” Honig responded.
Trump has been charged charged with violating Georgia’s “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations’ (RICO) Act, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, Conspiracy To Commit Impersonating a Public Officer, Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings, Conspiracy To Commit Filing False Documents, Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings, Filing False Documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, and False Statements and Writings,” according to the indictment.
Trump has also been indicted on federal charges relating to classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and to his activities surrounding the 2020 election, and in New York for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment.