Grand Jury Approved to Examine Trump’s Efforts to Overturn Georgia’s 2020 Election Results
The grand jury request from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was approved by a majority of judges on the county’s superior court
Judges in Georgia’s most populous county granted its top prosecutor’s request to impanel a special grand jury to investigate efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, the next step in a probe into the actions of former President Donald Trump and supporters after his loss in the state.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat, asked for the grand jury, saying she needed one to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify and provide evidence.
The request was approved by a majority of the judges on the county’s superior court, who are elected in nonpartisan races, according to an order filed Monday.
Republicans have accused Ms. Willis of trying to score partisan points. Mr. Trump said last week that he didn’t do anything wrong.
The “special purpose” grand jury can serve beginning on May 2 and could continue for up to a year, according to the order, signed by the chief judge of Fulton County’s Superior Court, Christopher S. Brasher. The grand jury won’t have authority to return an indictment but can subpoena witnesses, demand documents and make recommendations regarding criminal prosecution.
The grand jury represents the next step of the investigation that Ms. Willis’s office initiated early last year. In February 2021, she wrote to various officials urging them to preserve material that may be relevant for an investigation that “includes, but is not limited to, potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration.”
After Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won Georgia in 2020, Mr. Trump and his allies claimed the outcome was rigged and tried to press state officials to overturn the results, including by making phone calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and his staff. Two calls were recorded and later obtained by the media.
Georgia’s results showing that Mr. Biden won the state were confirmed by two statewide recounts and a partial forensic audit.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the Trump White House pushed out the then U.S. attorney in Atlanta, Byung J. Pak, appointed by Mr. Trump, because the-then president believed he wasn’t doing enough to investigate purported fraud.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/judges-approve-grand-jury-for-trump-election-probe-in-georgia-11643065455