A document about Trump’s indictment and 18 others appeared online before the jury voted
The Fulton County Clerk of Courts Office has provided a revised explanation regarding the alleged “fictitious” indictment that appeared on the Georgia court’s website. This development occurred before a grand jury decided to indict former President Trump and 18 other individuals.
On Monday, the Fulton County Court’s website displayed a document that contained the exact charges as those outlined in the subsequent indictment, which was officially released late Monday night. The charges encompassed offenses such as violating the Georgia RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), solicitation of the violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, and more.
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Reuters was the first to report on the document, which the Fulton County Court subsequently removed from its website. Following this incident, the court issued a statement condemning the document as “fictitious.” The statement also cautioned media outlets, highlighting that documents lacking an official case number, filing date, and the name of The Clerk of Courts should not be regarded as official filings.
The indictment, encompassing identical charges to those stated in the alleged fictitious document, was formally presented and unsealed on Monday night. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was called upon to explain their response to these developments.
Fani Willis responded, “No, I can’t provide any information regarding what you’re referring to.” She continued, “What I can share is that we had a grand jury convened here in Fulton County. They deliberated until almost 8 o’clock; if not right after 8 o’clock, an indictment was returned. It was truly billed. And you now have an indictment.”
However, the aftermath persisted into Tuesday, with Trump’s attorneys and allies criticizing the system.
On Tuesday afternoon, the court issued an extensive statement in an attempt to address lingering questions.
“The Office of the Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts announces that midday on August 14, 2023, a media outlet utilizing the Fulton County Press queue obtained a docket sheet and shared it with other media outlets.
These outlets then released the sample working document related to the former United States President, Donald Trump – reporting that an indictment had been returned by the Special Grand Jury in Fulton County, Georgia,” the statement reads. It further explains, “Upon learning of the mishap, Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts, Ché Alexander, immediately removed the document and issued correspondence notifying the media that a fictitious document was in circulation and that no indictment had been returned by the Grand Jury.”
“In anticipation of potential challenges that might arise with entering a potentially extensive indictment, Alexander employed existing charges within Odyssey to evaluate the system and conduct a preliminary test,” the statement elaborates. “Regrettably, the sample working document inadvertently resulted in the docketing of what seemed to be an indictment. However, it was, in reality, a fictitious docket sheet.”
The court explains that “due to the media’s access to documents before their official publication, it may have appeared that an official action had taken place since the document featured a case number and filing date. However, it lacked a signed ‘true’ or ‘no’ bill endorsement, as well as an official stamp bearing Clerk Alexander’s name. Consequently, the document was non-official and solely a test sample.”
“Several hours later, following the receipt of the True Bill presented to presiding Judge Robert McBurney, Clerk Alexander officially stamped the filing, and shortly thereafter, the filing was made public,” the court’s statement continues. “The Office acknowledges the confusion arising from this incident and recognizes the sensitivity associated with all court filings.”
The court emphasizes its dedication to maintaining an extremely high level of efficiency, accuracy, and transparency.
“Media representatives can expect to receive real-time notifications for all filings and will be granted access to filings through equitable communication,” the court assures.
The reasons behind the exact alignment of charges between the “sample working document” and the actual charges brought against the former president and 18 others remain unclear.