A special grand jury in Georgia tasked with investigating attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state has completed its work, according to a judge overseeing the inquiry.
On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney announced that the special grand jury had completed a final report on its investigation. The findings from the special grand jury, which could include recommendations for criminal charges, have not been released, although the panel did recommend making its report available to the public.
A panel of 20 judges reviewed and signed off on the report in addition to McBurney.
McBurney said there would be a hearing on January 24 to determine whether or not the findings would be released to the public, granting interested parties the opportunity to argue against releasing the report.
Georgia law doesn’t allow special grand juries to make criminal indictments, but they can issue reports with recommendations for criminal charges to county district attorneys or other officials. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will make a decision on issuing charges based on the report’s findings, after which a regular grand jury would need to be convened.
Willis doesn’t have to wait until a decision is made on releasing the report to issue charges if her office deems it appropriate to do so.
Willis’s office has already notified around 20 individuals that she intends to charge them with crimes relating to efforts to overturn the election in the state, including Trump’s former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer. It’s currently unknown whether Trump is among the individuals that Willis intends to press criminal charges against.
Willis will consider issuing conspiracy and racketeering charges relating to actions taken by Trump’s campaign in the months after he lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden. Such charges could be based on attempts by Trump’s campaign to create a fake slate of electors to be included with legitimate ones in the certification process of the Electoral College. Charges made directly against Trump, meanwhile, could relate to his demands that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “find” him enough votes to defeat Biden in the statewide presidential contest.
“So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break,” Trump said, according to the recorded phone call from two years ago.
Trump then threatened Raffensperger and his attorney, telling them they faced a “big risk” if they failed to comply with his demands.
It is illegal to coerce, command or otherwise try to get state election officials to engage in election fraud in the state of Georgia. Several legal experts believe Trump’s words are in violation of those standards.
“Once you look at what he said, trying to get Brad Raffensperger to come up with extra votes to make him a winner in Georgia…I think they have gotten a case beyond a reasonable doubt,” said former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman last summer.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy