Donald Trump Under Criminal Investigation by Georgia Prosecutors for Efforts to 'Influence' Election Results

Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, opened a criminal investigation against former President Donald Trump over his infamous phone call to the state's Secretary of State, Brad Raffensberger. According to a report by The New York Times, prosecutors have sent letters to state officials asking them to preserve any documents related to "attempts to influence" the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. They referred to the phone call where Trump asked Raffensberger to "find" the votes he needed to win.

These letters are the first signs of a full investigation now underway in Georgia. It is reportedly being led by Fani Willis, who was recently elected as a Democratic prosecutor for the county. The letter does not mention Trump by name, but state officials close to the investigation said it is related to his attempts to change the state's results after the fact. The Times obtained the letter and published some quotes from it.

"This investigation includes, but is not limited to, potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election's administration," it reads.

The same letter was reportedly sent to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Gov. Geoff Duncan and Attorney General Chris Carr. All condemned Trump for spreading conspiracy theories about the election long after it was over and for his attempts to strong-arm others into doing the same.

Those same conspiracy theories are the subject of Trump's second impeachment trial, which is currently underway in the United States Senate. Before his term ended, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for one charge of incitement of insurrection. However, most political analysts are guessing that the Senate will not convict him.

The Senate voted on Tuesday to decide whether the impeachment itself is constitutional, with Republicans arguing that Trump cannot be convicted after leaving office. In fact, there is plenty of historical precedent for U.S. public officials being impeached after their terms are over, but still, 44 Republican senators voted that the process is unconstitutional.

That was not enough to prevent the trial from moving forward, however. The U.S. Congress is back in session today to determine whether Trump is guilty of incitement of insurrection over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.