Parts of Georgia Special Grand Jury Report to Be Released

February 16, 2023by Kate Brumback, Associated Press
Parts of Georgia Special Grand Jury Report to Be Released
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney speaks during a hearing to decide if the final report by a special grand jury looking into possible interference in the 2020 presidential election can be released Jan. 24, 2023, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

ATLANTA (AP) — The public on Thursday will see portions of a report by a special grand jury that investigated whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies committed any crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

The report’s introduction and conclusion, along with a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath are to be released. But any recommendations on potential criminal charges will remain under wraps for now.

The partial release was ordered Monday by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who oversaw the special grand jury. During a hearing last month, prosecutors urged him not to release the report until they decide on charges, while a coalition of media organizations, including The Associated Press, pushed for the entire report to be made public immediately.

McBurney wrote in his order that it’s not appropriate to release the full report now because it’s important to protect the due process rights of people for whom the grand jury recommended charges.

The investigation is one of several that could have serious legal consequences for the former president as he tries to persuade voters to return him to the White House in 2024.

The special grand jury, which was requested by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to aid her investigation, did not have the power to issue indictments. Instead, its report contains recommendations for Willis, who will ultimately decide whether to seek one or more indictments from a regular grand jury.

Over the course of about seven months, the grand jurors heard from 75 witnesses, among them high-profile Trump allies former New York mayor and attorney Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Top Georgia officials, such as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp, also appeared before the panel.

Trump, who generally refused to accept that Joe Biden won the November 2020 election, seemed particularly bothered by his loss in Georgia and what he saw as a failure of Republican state elected officials to fight for him. Long a reliably Republican-voting state, Georgia tipped to Biden by a margin of about 12,000 votes, making him the first Democratic presidential candidate to win there since 1992.

Trump and his allies made unproven claims of widespread voter fraud and repeatedly berated Raffensperger and Kemp for not acting to overturn his loss. State and federal officials, including Trump’s own attorney general, have consistently said the election was secure and that there is no evidence of widespread fraud.

Willis has said since the beginning of the investigation two years ago that she was interested in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump suggested to Raffensperger that he could “find” the votes needed to overturn his loss in the state.

“All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump said during that call. “Because we won the state.”

Trump has said repeatedly that his call with Raffensperger was “perfect,” and he told the AP last month that he felt “very confident” that he would not be indicted.

Based on witnesses called to testify before the special grand jury, it is clear that Willis is also focusing on several other areas. Those included:

— Phone calls by Trump and others to Georgia officials in the wake of the 2020 election.

— A group of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate in December 2020 falsely stating that Trump had won the state and that they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

— False allegations of election fraud made during meetings of state legislators at the Georgia Capitol in December 2020.

— The copying of data and software from election equipment in rural Coffee County by a computer forensics team hired by Trump allies.

— Alleged attempts to pressure Fulton County elections worker Ruby Freeman into falsely confessing to election fraud.

— The abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta in January 2021.

Willis last summer sent letters informing some people, including Giuliani and the state’s 16 fake electors, that they could face criminal charges.

A+
a-
  • Donald Trump
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Georgia

    Republican Majorities Block Efforts to Expand Medicaid in Georgia and Kansas

    ATLANTA (AP) — Plans to expand Medicaid coverage to over half a million more people in Georgia and Kansas were... Read More

    ATLANTA (AP) — Plans to expand Medicaid coverage to over half a million more people in Georgia and Kansas were defeated by Republican-led committees in the states' legislatures Thursday. There are currently only 10 states that don’t cover people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty... Read More

    Judge to Consider Whether to Remove District Attorney Fani Willis From Georgia Election Case

    ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of... Read More

    ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of her election interference case against former President Donald Trump has set a hearing for Thursday that is expected to focus on details of Willis' personal relationship with a special prosecutor she hired.... Read More

    Plan for $400M Monkey-Breeding Facility in SW Georgia Draws Protest

    BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) — Some local residents and an animal-rights group are protesting plans for a monkey-breeding facility in southwest... Read More

    BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) — Some local residents and an animal-rights group are protesting plans for a monkey-breeding facility in southwest Georgia. Opponents on Tuesday urged the Bainbridge City Council to block plans by a company called Safer Human Medicine to build a $396 million complex that... Read More

    Marjorie Taylor Greene Targeted by Failed Christmas Swatting Attempt

    Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning, the congresswoman... Read More

    Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning, the congresswoman and local police said, marking the latest instance of someone calling in a fake emergency to draw armed officers or SWAT teams to her home. The... Read More

    Appeals Court Says Mark Meadows Can’t Move Georgia Election Case Charges to Federal Court

    ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows cannot move... Read More

    ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows cannot move charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia to federal court. Meadows was indicted in August along with former President Donald Trump and 17 others... Read More

    December 10, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Carter Votes for Cares Act Even as Hyundai Speeds Construction of Georgia EV Plant

    WASHINGTON — It was a matter of preserving consumers’ choice in the face of federal mandates. That’s how Rep. Buddy... Read More

    WASHINGTON — It was a matter of preserving consumers’ choice in the face of federal mandates. That’s how Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., explained his vote last week in favor of the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act, even as the Hyundai Motor Group is rushing to... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top