Atlanta begins to brace for the potential of a new Trump indictment as soon as next week

Authorities stand near barricades at the Fulton County courthouse, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, in Atlanta. The sheriff's office are implementing various security measures ahead of District Attorney Fani Willis possibly seeking an indictment in her investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Donald Trump and officials in Atlanta are bracing for a new indictment that could come as soon as next week in a Georgia prosecutor’s investigation into the former president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has said he’s in meetings “every day” to prepare for a possible indictment. In anticipation of potential charges, his deputies erected barriers last week along the block in front of the main courthouse. The street was closed this week, and parking is prohibited on nearby streets. Those measures are to remain in place through the end of next week, Labat’s office said.

Trump has said he expects to be indicted a fourth time by next week and has begun stepping up his criticism of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has spent two years leading the election probe into Trump and his allies. Speaking to supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Republican former president launched highly personal attacks on Willis and called the 52-year-old Democratic prosecutor, who is Black, “a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta.”