Mary Trump, the niece of former President Donald Trump, revealed on Sunday what she views as the most surprising part of the latest indictment against her uncle.
A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, indicted Trump and 18 of his allies on Monday following District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation into the ex-president's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, a state narrowly won by President Joe Biden. The probe focused on Trump's call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump allegedly asked him to find enough votes to tilt the election in his favor, as well as an alleged plot to submit a false slate of pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College.
Trump has maintained his innocence, saying that he did nothing wrong and that he is being targeted for political reasons as he runs for reelection in 2024.
"I'm just surprised it took a few decades too long," Mary Trump said about her uncle's Georgia indictment during an appearance on MSNBC's The Katie Phang Show on Sunday morning. "It's just the evidence is so compelling."
Mary Trump has long been a vocal critic of the former president, opposing both his policies as president and speaking out against him amid his ongoing legal battles. She frequently discusses Trump's legal woes on her podcast and on cable news appearances.
On Sunday, she also pointed to the evidence that made the indictment surprising for her.
"One of the things about this case that I think so many of us, even lay people who don't understand the nuances of the law very well at all—is that we've seen the crimes being committed in front of us. We have audio tapes. We have video recordings. So it has been an exercise in frustration to see how long it's taken."
She added that Willis has shown that "it has been well worth the wait."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email.
Mary Trump initially responded to the indictment on Monday in a post to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"In fairness, he's been the head of a criminal organization since the 1970s--this one just includes people who aren't actually members of his family," she wrote.
Trump is facing 13 new charges in the Fulton County indictment, bringing the total number of charges he is facing across all of his criminal cases to 91. He is facing charges including racketeering, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and conspiracy charges.
Trump has also been indicted in the Department of Justice (DOJ) cases into alleged interference in the 2020 election and classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence, as well as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation into an alleged hush money payment made during his 2016 campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump has pleaded not guilty in each case and maintains his innocence.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
