The request by Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis for a special grand jury to work on matters related to her election-related criminal investigation of Trump and others has been granted. Willis’s probe is dealing with Trump’s attempts — and those of certain allies around him — to undercut the presidential election outcome in Georgia, where Biden won. These efforts included a call that then-President Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in which he implored the top elections official to “find” enough votes to flip the state. Willis had asked local judges, who had to approve the request, for a special grand jury that would begin its work in May. The entity can handle matters including the issuance of subpoenas.
New: Atlanta-area DA investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia will be allowed to seat a special grand jury this spring. Fulton County DA Fani Willis said she expects to decide whether to bring charges against Trump in first half of 2022.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 24, 2022
Perks of a special grand jury include that it would be set up to remain in operation longer than an ordinary grand jury. In addition, a special grand jury could focus on just a single case — the Trump investigation — which is distinct from how ordinary grand juries operate, dealing with numerous cases throughout their run. In making her original request, Willis noted to Christopher S. Brasher — the chief judge of Fulton County’s Superior Court — that a “significant number of witnesses and prospective witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony,” making a special grand jury warranted. As previously recapped by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Willis’s probe has been including an examination of potential criminal acts including “criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, intentional interference with the performance of election duties, conspiracy and racketeering,” among other looming issues.
This will be an investigative grand jury that can be used to take testimony & compel production of documents, etc from unwilling witnesses. Why so "slow"? It takes time to summon potential grand jurors & qualify the group. https://t.co/VVNW9E6ROl
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) January 24, 2022
Willis’s investigation is the only publicly known criminal probe dealing with Trump’s attempts to undercut the election outcome, and she has indicated that she expects to decide on whether to charge Trump with any crimes before the first half of this year draws to a close. Other individuals who were involved in attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election outcome in Georgia include longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who pushed lies about the electoral process to state legislators in Georgia and elsewhere. Giuliani has already faced other consequences for his involvement in spreading election lies — he’s been suspended from practicing law in both New York and Washington, D.C.
CNN: Fulton County, Georgia district attorney investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia will be allowed to seat a special grand jury beginning this spring.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 24, 2022