Political Rewind: Donald Trump in Columbus; Voters weigh in on federal indictments

Caption

Former President Donald Trump exits the stage after speaking at the Georgia Republican convention on Saturday, in Columbus, Ga., his first public appearance responding to the unsealing of his federal indictment.

Credit: AP

The panel

Anthony Michael Kreis, @AnthonyMKreis, professor of law, Georgia State University

State Rep. Chuck Efstration (R), @ChuckEfstration, House Majority Leader, Auburn

Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

State Sen. Sonya Halpern (D), @SonyaHalpern_, Atlanta

The breakdown

1. Donald Trump headlined the state GOP convention, shortly after he was indicted in a federal investigation.

• The former president framed his indictment as an abuse of power by a political opponent.
  • The charges come from a federal investigation into his mishandling of national defense documents, which he allegedly stored and refused to turn over to investigators.
• This is the second major investigation that has released indictments targeting Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released charges related to financial crimes allegedly committed by the former president weeks before the 2016 election.

2. Georgia Republicans picked former state Sen. Josh McKoon as new GOP chair.

• Last weekend's convention saw McKoon succeed David Shafer, the controversial chair who allegedly sent a slate of false electors to D.C. during the 2020 election.
• McKoon said Republicans were "united" going into 2024, but several Republicans unaffiliated with Donald Trump skipped the party's convention.

3. Kari Lake said "card-carrying" National Rifle Association members would defend Donald Trump.

• In what she called a "public service announcement," the failed candidate for Arizona governor said prosecutors would have to go through "75 million Americans," many of who she claimed were "card-carrying members of the NRA."

4. In a surprise ruling, the Supreme Court ruled Alabama's congressional districts disenfranchised Black voting power.

• Only one of Alabama's seven districts had a majority Black seat. The court ruled the GOP-controlled legislature violated the Voting Rights Act.
• The decision could impact Georgia, as congressional district maps come under scrutiny.

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The University of Georgia's Dr. Charles Bullock joins the panel.