New explanation for 'fictitious' docket sheet matching fourth Trump indictment

The Fulton County Clerk of Courts Office has a new explanation for the Monday afternoon release of what it called a "fictitious" docket sheet listing the charges against former President Donald Trump and 18 other associates for "conspiring" to overturn the 2020 presidential election in December 2020.

The office is now saying that the document was a "trial run" of the system and that it was generated on that basis, not "true-billed" as an actual indictment.

The grand jury "deliberated till almost 8 o'clock, if not right after 8 o'clock, an indictment was returned. It was true billed. And you now have an indictment," Fani Willis said when asked about the Monday afternoon document.

"In anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment, Alexander used charges that pre-exist in Odyssey to test the system and conduct a trial run," a lengthy statement from the court read in part. "Unfortunately, the sample working document led to the docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet."

The statement didn't explain why the charges on the "trial run" were exactly the same as the indictment itself.

As Trump would say, the fix is in.