Happening today: Atlanta DA to seat grand jury in Trump election probe
Happening today: Atlanta DA to seat grand jury in Trump election probe
Special panel set to take over Trump election investigation
The Georgia investigation into former President Donald Trump and his campaign’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election is set to enter a new phase on Monday, as Atlanta’s top prosecutor prepares to empanel a grand jury to determine whether or not the former President committed a crime.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is taking the unusual step of putting the investigation into the hands of a special grand jury. Willis says that a special panel is needed because of the number of witnesses who have refused to cooperate with her office throughout the investigation.
Officials spent the weekend preparing for Monday’s grand jury selection process. Orange barricades have blocked off the streets surrounding the Fulton County Courthouse, adding another headache for drivers during their Monday morning commute. Expect the courthouse to be heavily armed with police and security officials.
At issue is the now-infamous January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the defeated President — with just over two weeks left in office, frantically urged the Republican to “find” enough votes in order to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory.
“[Willis] has also said they’re looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election.”
The Trump campaign has repeatedly dismissed the probe as a political witch hunt, and Graham continues to deny any wrongdoing.
The seating of a grand jury paves the way for subpoenas to be issued and for witnesses to be called to testify under oath. Willis said in a recent interview that she plans to wait until after the May 24 primary election to hear from witnesses.
Willis said that the panel will spend this month approving subpoenas and that she is waiting until after the primary to avoid coming across as politically motivated. Raffensperger himself is set to face a competitive primary battle this month.
“I don’t want anyone to say ‘oh, she’s doing this because she wants to influence the outcome of this upcoming election,’” she told the AJC. “The people will decide the outcome of this upcoming election. It will have nothing to do with this district attorney’s office.”
Willis has ramped up security both for herself and for her office as the intensifying probe has lead to an increase of threats. She has requested assistance from the FBI’s Atlanta office and has declined to name the prosecutors assisting her on the case for security reasons. She said that they are being provided with bulletproof vests.
No one knows how long the grand jury will meet or when they might make their referrals, but judges have authorized the panel to meet until the spring of 2023.
“The special purpose grand jury shall be authorized to investigate any and all facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to alleged violations of the laws of the State of Georgia,” said a judge in a court order.
Critics of the probe say that the Fulton County District Attorney’s office should instead be focusing on a backlog of cases that have piled up under former DA Paul Howard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Willis has said that the previous administration left her office with more than 11,000 unprocessed cases and that a rise in violent crime has only added more to their workload.
Judges who authorized the grand jury said that the new panel will allow the DA’s office to focus more time and resources on clearing the case backlog.
The wheels of justice moving slowly, but surely… Excellent reporting, Niles!
Interesting article 👍🏾