Breakdown

The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast explores court filings that suggest a criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump and his allies has reached a new, more sensitive stage. The bonus episode also includes podcast hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman interviewing the AJC’s metro columnist, Bill Torpy, and the newspaper’s political columnist, Patr...

The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Breakdown” podcast takes a close look at the data breach at the Coffee County elections office which occurred one day after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Podcast hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman interview Mark Niesse, the AJC’s elections and voting rights expert. Niesse has covered the wild developments surrounding the Coffee C...

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 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act has been on the books for more than half a century, and Georgia’s version was enacted in 1980. The 13th episode of Season Nine of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast — “The Trump Grand Jury” — takes a deep look at RICO. The episode traces its origin as a prosecutorial weapon to take Mafia dons off the streets. It also looks at...

Will Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis subpoena former President Donald Trump before the special purpose grand jury? So far, Willis has sent out-of-state witness subpoenas to Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows; close ally Lindsey Graham, the U.S. senator from South Carolina; and his inner circle of lawyers who tried to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Epis...

AJC journalists Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman focus on former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's grand jury appearance and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham's attempts to avoid his testimony by the Fulton County special purpose grand jury of former President Donald Trump and his allies for what happened in Georgia after the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani, who has been Trump's personal lawyer, showed...

The Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigation is closing in on former President Donald Trump. Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff and close advisor, has been served an out-of-state witness subpoena to appear before the grand jury. The 10th episode of “The Trump Grand Jury,” the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast, explores the ramifications of...

The public release of the recording of the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call from then-President Donald Trump to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was the impetus for what is now an ongoing special purpose grand jury investigation. Raffensperger and a top aide, Gabe Sterling, sit for an interview and talk about the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath. During the phone call, Raffensperger disag...

Former President Donald Trump has assembled a legal team to defend him before the Fulton County special purpose grand jury that is investigating possible meddling that occurred in Georgia after the 2020 presidential election. The eighth episode of “The Trump Grand Jury,” the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Breakdown” podcast, introduces listeners to Trump’s new attorneys. Atlan...

Is there a criminal case to be brought against former President Donald Trump and his allies for what happened in Georgia following the 2020 presidential election? The third episode of “The Trump Grand Jury,” the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast, explores that possibility. A Fulton County special purpose grand jury that is investigating the issue will ultimately...

The fourth episode of “The Trump Grand Jury,” the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast, focuses on criminal intent as part of the podcast’s continuing coverage of the Fulton County special purpose grand jury that is investigating what Donald Trump and his allies did in Georgia following the 2020 president election. If a criminal indictment is ultimately brought, pro...

One sitting president was placed under arrest for speeding. Two former presidents came extremely close to being indicted, one from an investigation arising from the Watergate scandal, the other from the Whitewater controversy. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman examine past criminal cases involving presidents and vice presidents. Fulton County District Attorney...

The fifth episode of “The Trump Grand Jury,” the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast, recaps a busy period for the special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies. There are a flurry of witnesses coming in to testify about what happened at the state Capitol in the weeks after the November 2020 presidential election. There is a...

The phone call from the White House came in at about 3 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2021. Then President Donald Trump, his chief of staff and his lawyers were on the line talking to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and members of his staff. During the recorded phone call, Trump asked Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” which would give him one more vote than he needed to flip the outcome of Georgia’s pr...

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was sitting in his kitchen on the afternoon of Jan. 2, 2021, when he received a phone call from the White House. President Donald Trump, his chief of staff and some of his lawyers were on the line. During the conversation, Trump told Raffensperger to “find” him 11,780 votes to overturn the election results. That was one more than the 11,779-vote margin...

The second episode of “The Trump Grand Jury,” the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast, focuses on the woman who is overseeing the investigation of former President Donald Trump and his allies. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis grew up in courtrooms, tagging along with her father, an attorney. When Willis became a prosecutor, she rose through the ranks at...

The most recent Breakdown episode by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution dissects the recent evidentiary hearing on the motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office from the election interference case. The hearing has enough twists and turns to be an episode of a telenovela. Episode 31 – “Under The Microscope” – of Breakdown’s Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – in...

A showdown of closing arguments as to whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should or should not be disqualified from the election interference case is the focus of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s most recent Breakdown podcast. Episode 33 – “The Closings” – of Breakdown’s 10th season – “The Trump Indictment” – sets up what could be a seminal moment in the case against former Presi...

The former law partner and divorce lawyer of special prosecutor Nathan Wade takes the witness stand once again after the judge finds he can talk about what he learned about Wade’s and District Attorney Fani Willis’ romantic relationship. But attorney Terrence Bradley doesn’t say what defense attorneys in the election interference case want to hear. So Episode 32 – “No Star Witness” – of Season 10...

With the future of Fulton County’s election interference case on the line, District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand to fight back against misconduct allegations. Defiant, emotional, angry and sometimes even funny, Willis’ testimony was both remarkable and surprising as she pushed back against accusations that could disqualify her and her office from prosecuting former President Donald Trump an...

The accusations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis continue to get increasingly personal in nature since her acknowledgment of her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The latest episode of Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” – of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers more motions that call for Willis’ disqualification from the election interferen...

The judge overseeing the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 14 others has cleared the way for what could be an explosive hearing focusing on the personal relationship between the district attorney and her special prosecutor. The most recent episode – “Setting the Table” – of Season 10 – “The Trump Indictment” of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast...

The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers the highly anticipated response by the District Attorney’s Office to allegations DA Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade were having an improper romantic relationship. The court filing is at times pointed and blistering and it is highly critical and dismissive of the motion to disqualify Willis and her...

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis gives an impassioned and defiant speech before a congregation at the historic Big Bethel AME Church, defending the man a court motion contends is involved in an improper, romantic relationship with the DA. Willis’ response to the bombshell allegations is the focus of the most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast. Episode...

The allegations are salacious: arguably the most famous district attorney in the country hired her romantic partner to help prosecute a former president and then profited from the arrangement. An eye-popping, explosive court motion filed on behalf of one of Donald Trump’s lesser-known defendants is the focus of the most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast. Episod...