When Donald Trump and his co-defendants stand trial for allegedly trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election, the public will be able to watch. Fulton County is the only jurisdiction that’s indicted the former president on criminal charges where cameras are allowed in the courtroom. Episode 12 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Breakdown” podcast — “The Trump Indictment” — features a lively debate between two lawyers who disagree on whether that’s a good idea. Steve Brill founded Court TV an...
Oct 13, 2023•38 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast In Episode 11 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Breakdown” podcast — “The Trump Indictment” — we discuss the first plea deal in Fulton County’s wide-ranging election subversion case and what it could mean for the 18 remaining defendants. In exchange for testifying for the prosecution, Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall will remain out of jail. He pled guilty to five misdemeanor counts — less severe than the seven felonies he initially faced. We’ll also dig into the surprise announcement from ...
Oct 05, 2023•44 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 10 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers two hearings during which lawyers for former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and three Republican electors try to remove their cases to federal court in Atlanta. The hearings were before U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones, who recently denied former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to remove his case from Fulton County Superior Court. “To Remove or not to Remove?” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Tr...
Sep 22, 2023•27 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Breakdown episode examines a federal judge’s ruling denying former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to remove his case to U.S. District Court in Atlanta. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones released his 49-page order late Friday afternoon, and his findings could be bad news for former President Donald Trump, whose lawyers have said they will also seek to move his case out of Fulton County Superior Court. “Meadows Is Denied” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – b...
Sep 15, 2023•29 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast The eighth episode of Breakdown’s current season by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution digs into the long-awaited report from Fulton County's special purpose grand jury, which spent eight months investigating Donald Trump and his allies. Learn about the 39 people who the the special grand jurors recommended face criminal charges - including one current and two former U.S. senators - and why some of them ultimately didn't end up in District Attorney Fani Willis' racketeering indictment. You'll also...
Sep 08, 2023•39 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of Breakdown’s current season by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contains an exclusive interview with the lawyers for Kenneth Chesebro, one of the 19 defendants charged in the Fulton County racketeering case. Atlanta attorneys Scott Grubman and Manny Arora make state their case as to why they believe charges should not have been brought against their client. Chesebro, a lawyer, has been described as the architect for the slates of alternate electors who cast Electoral College...
Sep 07, 2023•37 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast The sixth episode of Breakdown’s current season by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps former chief of staff Mark Meadows’ attempt to transfer the sweeping racketeering case to U.S. District Court in Atlanta. During a daylong hearing, Meadows was the first witness called to the stand. He testified for four hours, including a lengthy cross-examination by special Fulton County prosecutor Anna Cross. “Meadows’ Gambit” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also recounts the strange...
Aug 31, 2023•39 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of Breakdown from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps former President Donald Trump’s historic surrender at the Fulton County jail. “Trump Surrenders” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also recounts a flurry of breaking news in just the past few days: the spectacle of Rudy Giuliani’s surrender, Trump gets a new lawyer, a speedy trial demand is made and District Attorney Fani Willis proposes a new trial date for October. You can download the Breakdown podc...
Aug 25, 2023•30 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast The fourth episode of this season’s Breakdown podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recounts a busy week where lawyers met with prosecutors to get bonds for their clients, including a $200,000 bond for former President Donald Trump. “Show Time at Rice Street” of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – also covers one of the 19 defendants charged in the racketeering case after another surrendering at the Fulton County jail on Rice Street. The episode also includes a roundtable disc...
Aug 23, 2023•43 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast The third episode of this season’s Breakdown podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines the chaotic aftermath of the sweeping racketeering indictment against former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants. AJC journalists Bill Rankin, Tamar Hallerman, and Shannon McCaffrey explore one attempt — and at least two others that are expected — to move the case from Fulton Superior Court to the U.S. District Court just a few blocks away. The episode includes reactions from three of th...
Aug 18, 2023•36 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast At the end of a very long day, a Fulton County grand jury returned a 97-page, 41-count indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies. Episode 2 – “The Enterprise” – of Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast takes a look at the sweeping racketeering indictment and who is charged. Some of the defendants are extremely well known, such as a former mayor of New York and a former White House chief of staff. But a few others – ...
Aug 15, 2023•23 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast The first episode of the new season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast will catch listeners up on how Fulton County prosecutors have accumulated evidence against Donald Trump and his allies. ‘How We Got Here’ of Breakdown’s Season 10 – ‘The Trump Indictment’ – also looks ahead as to what kind of indictment a seated grand jury could hand up in the days ahead. It is widely expected that District Attorney Fani Willis will ask the panel to issue a racketeering indictment against...
Aug 09, 2023•42 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast The barricades around the Fulton County courthouse are up. Intersections are blocked off and officials in Atlanta have been warned to get ready. For more than a year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and its award-winning podcast Breakdown closely followed the special grand jury that accumulated evidence against former president Donald Trump and his allies for what happened in Georgia follow the 2020 election. Breakdown will turn a new page on Wednesday when we release the premiere episode of Se...
Aug 08, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final episode of this season’s “Breakdown” podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman examine the recent federal indictment against former President Donald Trump in Washington and look ahead to what is about to happen in Fulton County. Episode 31 notes how much of what the podcast previously reported as to what happened in Georgia after the 2020 presidential election is part of the indictment obtained by special counsel Jack Smith. And the episode e...
Aug 03, 2023•36 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Breakdown episode catches listeners up on developments since former President Donald Trump was indicted in Miami in the classified documents case. A day after that indictment was unsealed, Trump returned to Georgia to address a gathering of the state Republican Party. He used the occasion to insult Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and repeat his false claims about the 2020 presidential election. A few days later, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a challe...
Jul 05, 2023•31 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast We finally know when Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will announce her charging decisions in her investigation of possible criminal meddling with the 2020 election. Even though Willis said in January those decisions were “imminent,” it hasn’t turned out that way. In letters to local law enforcement, Willis said there will be a need for heightened security and preparedness due to this pending announcement. Her letters were also written in a way that it seems certain Willis will seek a...
Apr 28, 2023•36 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast In this special podcast crossover edition, Politically Georgia host Patricia Murphy joins Breakdown hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman to discuss the first indictment of a former president and what it means to the Fulton County investigation into alleged criminal meddling with the 2020 election. The group dissects the 34-count felony indictment and recounts the surreal scene surrounding Trump’s surrender at the Manhattan courthouse. Also reviewed is Trump’s address hours later to supporters a...
Apr 07, 2023•41 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast recaps exclusive interviews with five of the special purpose grand jurors who investigated possible criminal meddling with the 2020 presidential election. The jurors — three men and two women — shared previously unknown details about the investigation, including witnesses and pieces of evidence that were previously unreported. Episode 27, “Inside the Special Grand Jury,” of Breakdown’s ninth season, “The Trump Grand Jury,...
Mar 20, 2023•26 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast In a lengthy interview, Emily Kohrs, forewoman of the Fulton County special purpose grand jury, says the panel has recommended indictments. “It’s not a short list,” Kohrs, 30, said. Kohrs first emerged in an article published by The Associated Press the morning of Feb. 21. Hours later, she sat down for an interview at the offices of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She would later sit for TV interviews. In Episode 26 – “The Forewoman Emerges” – of Breakdown’s ninth season – “The Trump Grand Jur...
Mar 01, 2023•44 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast After mulling it over for three weeks, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney decided to release three sections of the report, concluding "the compelling public interest in these proceedings and the unquestionable value and importance of transparency require their release." The special grand jurors reveal they have included vote tallies on each recommendation included in the report and they say they suspect one or more witnesses may have lied under oath while testifying. In Episode 2...
Feb 22, 2023•39 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast In this special crossover edition of the Politically Georgia and Breakdown podcasts from The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, AJC journalists Patricia Murphy, Bill Rankin, and Tamar Hallerman explain the final report released Thursday from the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Our hosts will explain what we now know and what we have yet to learn from the nearly eight-mo...
Feb 17, 2023•45 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast A court hearing is held as to whether the Fulton County special purpose grand jury’s final report can be made public right now. The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers the hearing. Episode 23 – “Decisions Are Imminent” – also includes an interview with a former Atlanta prosecutor who explains why he thinks bringing indictments would set a dangerous precedent. At the hearing, Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis has the first word, asking Superior Co...
Jan 27, 2023•48 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast The Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies has finished its work. In an order signed Jan. 9, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said the special grand jury had finished writing its final report – which, if it recommends bringing charges against the former president, could be one of the most consequential legal documents in recent U.S. history. The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast explores th...
Jan 17, 2023•31 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast As the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigation winds down, it’s highly likely it is putting together its report and recommendations, formally called a presentment. The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast explores prior presentments issued by special grand juries and explains how the process plays out. Fulton’s special grand jury is investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies for possible criminal interference with the 2020 pre...
Dec 23, 2022•35 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has legal, practical and political considerations to consider as she investigates former President Donald Trump and his allies for alleged meddling with the 2020 election. To explore the latter consideration, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Breakdown podcast turned to Greg Bluestein, the newspaper's politics reporter who broke many of the stories that have become central parts of the special purpose grand jury investigation. In a far-reaching interv...
Dec 06, 2022•44 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney says his oversight of the special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies has been "quite a ride." Episode 19 of the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Breakdown podcast includes an interview with McBurney, who has now been a judge for 10 years. The AJC's metro columnist, Bill Torpy, interviewed McBurney because it has seemed the judge is the busiest member of Georgia's judiciary. McBurney ru...
Nov 22, 2022•49 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast In an email sent Dec. 31, 2020, attorney John Eastman shared a thought with fellow members of then-President Donald Trump’s legal team. “I have no doubt that an aggressive DA or U.S. Attorney some place will go after both the president and his lawyers once the dust settles on this,” Eastman wrote. Eastman, a former law school dean, was one of the architects behind the fake elector scheme and he authored legal memos detailing a plan in which Vice President Mike Pence could refuse to count some of...
Nov 15, 2022•35 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Could testimony from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack help Fulton prosecutors prove criminal intent? The 17th episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's podcast "Breakdown — The Trump Grand Jury" looks at the testimony from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Could any of the revelations help Fulton County prosecutors prove criminal intent in regards to former Donald Trump's interference with the 2020 elections in Georgia? The House Select Com...
Nov 01, 2022•38 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast When 16 Georgia Republicans met at the state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, they cast Electoral College votes for Donald Trump, who had not won the state’s presidential election. The 16th episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast – “The Trump Grand Jury” — revisits what happened that day and the consequences going forward. The false electors cast their votes the same day 16 Democrats, the official Electoral College electors, publicly cast votes for the man who’d been certified a...
Oct 25, 2022•50 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast focuses on new out-of-state material witness subpoenas issued by the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies. The most notable to receive them are former national security advisor Michael Flynn and former Georgia congressman and House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Also on the list are one of Trump’s former senior advisors, a cyber investigations consultant and a police ...
Oct 18, 2022•38 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast 
