The next step is a hearing set for Jan. 24, where the Fulton District Attorney’s office, media, and those named in the investigation will decide whether the report should be made public, AJC reports. The decision to press charges on the case resides with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who would have to provide evidence before another regular grand jury.
The 26-member special grand jury has been investigating Trump and others for crimes related to efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss. Trump additionally faces a federal investigation into his attempts to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden.
The group was given authority to “investigate any and all facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to alleged violations of the laws of the State of Georgia.”
Willis’ investigation began in February 2021 with a focus on a leaked phone conversation Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him “find” him the “11,780 votes” he needed in order to win in Georgia.
The probe then widened its investigation and began looking into issues such as calls made by Trump and others in his inner circle to Georgia officials, the appointment of fake “alternate” Republican electors, the pressure and harassment of 2020 election workers by former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and the breach of election machines in Coffee County, Georgia, to name a few.
Last spring Willis told the AJC, “I don’t want you to think I’m naïve or I don’t get the gravity of the situation … I get the gravity of it. … But it’s just like every other case. You just have to do your due diligence.”
Trump has repeatedly called Willis’ probe a “witch hunt” and his call to Raffensperger “perfect.”
Meanwhile, in Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel has reopened her own criminal investigation into more Trump fake electors who falsely claimed their MAGA leader won the state when he didn’t.
According to CNN, Nessel, who initially referred the case to federal prosecutors a year ago, now says she’s “a little worried” that nothing has happened.
“What we have seen from the January 6 committee is an overwhelming amount of evidence. I thought that there was already a substantial amount of evidence in that case. But now, there is just clear evidence to support charges against those 16 false electors, at least in our state,” Nessel said.
“Quite candidly, yes, we are re-opening our investigation because I don’t know what the federal government plans to do,” she added.
Rebekah Sager
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