The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office will be charged with the decisions made by the grand jury in the 2020 election in Georgia after the Trump-Powler pardon
75 witnesses who played a range of roles in the 2020 election in Georgia testified before the grand jury, which started hearing evidence on June 1, 2022. That testimony was usually delivered under oath.
The Fulton County District Attorney will have to make charging decisions now that the grand jury is over. The decisions that Willis made in this case will be important to the outcome of the 2024 presidential campaign.
During the heated Oval Office meeting, CNN previously reported, Flynn and Powell floated outrageous suggestions about overturning the election, three weeks after Trump pardoned Flynn.
Gingrich was also involved in a plan to have Republican fake electors sign certificates falsely stating that Trump had won the state and that they were the state’s official electors even though Democrat Joe Biden had won, the petition says.
Willis also filed court paperwork on Friday to attempt to issue subpoenas to former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann and at least two other individuals who she says have valuable insight to share with the grand jury.
Sources familiar with the situation told CNN that the district attorney wants to wrap up the grand jury work in time for indictments to be issued as early as December.
Defending Democratic Corrupt Practices with Out-of-State Witnesses: The case of A. E. Flynn
Flynn didn’t respond to email and phone messages, as well as his lawyer, who returned an email seeking comment. Gingrich referred questions to his attorney, who declined to comment. Herschmann could not immediately be reached.
The case leading up to November’s mid-term election will give her a break from public activity for one month.
Potential witnesses will be needed in November after the election according to the petitions filed Friday. But the process for securing testimony from out-of-state witnesses sometimes takes a while, so it appears Willis is putting the wheels in motion for activity to resume after her self-imposed pause.
The grand jury’s judge signed the petitions certifying that every person who will testify is a “necessary and material witness”.
He was involved in a plan to run television ads that encouraged people to contact state officials to overturn election results based on false claims, as well as encouraging members of the public to call in if they found evidence of fraud in the election.
The petition seeking Flynn’s testimony says he appeared in an interview on conservative cable news channel Newsmax and said Trump “could take military capabilities” and place them in swing states and “basically re-run an election in each of those states.”
He also met with Trump, attorney Sidney Powell and others at the White House on Dec. 18, 2020, for a meeting that, according to news reports, “focused on topics including invoking martial law, seizing voting machines, and appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate the 2020 election,” Willis wrote.
She said that the House committee revealed that Herschmann had conversations with Eastman, Giuliani, Powell and others related to their efforts to influence the results of the 2020 Georgia elections. She said that he had a “heated discussion” with him over concerns in Georgia.
She identified Penrose as “a cyber investigations, operations and forensics consultant” who worked with Powell and others known to be associated with the Trump campaign in late 2020 and early 2021.
He had communicated with Powell and others regarding an agreement with SullivanStrickler to copy software from voting system equipment in Coffee County, about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta, as well as in Michigan and Nevada. Email and phone messages seeking comment from Penrose were not immediately responded to.
In a petition for Lee’s testimony, he said that he was part of an attempt to pressure the elections worker who was the subject of false claims about election fraud. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Special Grand Jury Case in Georgia: Sen. Kash Patel’s Testimony on the Mar-a-Lago Case
While federal grand juries are notoriously secret affairs, grand juries empaneled in local courts have varying rules. There’s nothing in the statute about special grand juries in Georgia that says they must be secret. If the grand jury recommends the report be made public, it should be. The judge allowed the jurors to speak to the press, albeit with limitations.
When the investigation is complete, the special grand jury can issue a final report and recommend action. It’s then up to the district attorney to decide whether to ask a regular grand jury for an indictment.
According to a law professor at Georgia State University, the Supreme Court order allows Mr. Graham to continue his strategy of delay by objecting to questions from the grand jury.
The risk for the senator is that the grand jury may reveal to the public both the topics they are exploring and his refusal to answer them, said Mr. Cunningham.
Legal experts believe the case represents a serious threat to Mr. Trump, who was recorded on a phone call with Mr. Raffensperger in January 2021, telling him he wanted to “find” 11,780 votes — one vote more than he needed to declare victory.
In recent months, a number of high-profile allies of Mr. Trump have been waging battles in courtrooms around the nation, arguing that they should not have to participate. Their track record has not been perfect.
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Donald Trump adviser Kash Patel to testify before a grand jury investigating the handling of federal records at Mar-a-Lago, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
The judge of the DC District Court granted immunity from prosecution on any information he gave the investigation, the people said.
The court decided under a seal after a confidential proceeding in which the Justice Department subpoenaed the Indian origin woman to testify. He declined to answer questions because of his Fifth Amendment protection.
As CNN has previously reported, Patel is one of a handful of advisers around Trump after his presidency who could have legal risk related to the Mar-a-Lago situation, according to court records and sources, though it’s unclear if he is a target of the Justice Department probe.
He served as a national security and defense official during the Trump administration, and this summer became one of Trump’s designees to interact with the National Archives and the Justice Department as both agencies have tried to repossess classified records Trump kept from his presidency. He has made claims in media that he witnessed Trump declassify records before he left the presidency, and has argued that Trump should be able to release classified information.
The Atlanta-area special grand jury report on Donald Trump’s actions after the 2020 election is expected to reveal new clues about his actions in Georgia
The grand jury was looking at Mar- a-Lago over the past several months, and there were a lot of witnesses subpoenaed, according to one source.
Portions of a highly anticipated report by the Atlanta-area special grand jury that investigated Donald Trump’s actions in Georgia after the 2020 election will be released Thursday, giving the public its clearest look yet into the two-year probe into Trump and his associates’ efforts to reverse his election defeat.
McBurney was clear that other findings by the special grand jury won’t be made public yet – particularly the parts where the report makes recommendations about potential charges. That’s because some of the people named in those recommendations may not have appeared in grand jury proceedings so far.
The big question is whether the portions will include any bits of information that shed new light on what Trump himself did two years ago and whether the special grand jury concluded that the former president committed any crimes.
In the year 2020, Trump lost to Joe Biden. The former president has insisted that there was nothing problematic about his activities contesting the election.
In document preservation requests to Georgia officials in February 2021, Willis said she was investigating potential crimes, including solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to government bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and violence or threats related to election administration.
Cunningham added to CNN that “there is no doubt that whatever (the report is) referring to is either conduct that was done directly by Donald Trump or done on his behalf.”
The cross section of citizens working together has decided that the former president’s actions to overturn the election results were a crime. “I think that’s terrifically significant.”
As part of the investigation, she heard Trump talking to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about finding votes to help him win Georgia, separate from the notorious post- Election call he made to him.
The grand jury believed that perjury charges should be filed for some witnesses, according to some portions of the final report. The grand jury had recommended multiple indictments, though she didn’t give names, according to the New York Times.
Its final report is likely to include some summary of the panel’s investigative work, as well as any recommendations for indictments and the alleged conduct that led the panel to its conclusions.
Willis, a Democrat, has not brought any charges in the investigation at this time. During a hearing last month on whether to publicly release the report, Willis suggested that the special grand jury had recommended multiple indictments and said that her decision on whether to bring charges was “imminent.”
“We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election,” it added.
The grand jury’s conclusions on the fraud matter is important because it once again establishes that Trump was attempting to overturn the results of a legitimate election. That could factor into charging decisions by state prosecutors, who are weighing whether to indict Trump and his allies with crimes related to 2020.
Perjury may have been committed by more than one witness according to portions of the report. “The Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.”
The pages released Thursday do not name any witnesses alongside that recommendation and do not provide any other details about the witness testimony the special grand jury heard.
The Fulton County Commission Report on the Investigating the 2016 November Session Ends with a Proposal of a Final Report
The most obvious and pressing question stemming from the Fulton County investigation is: Will Trump be indicted? The excerpts of the report did not move the needle in answering the question. Trump’s name – or the name of any subject of the investigation or witness – wasn’t mentioned.
The implications of Willis’ decisions couldn’t be higher. The 2024 presidential campaign is already kicking into gear, and Willis’ decision on charging Trump could potentially scramble the Republican primary field.
The panel did not hear from Trump. In a statement Thursday, his campaign again touted his “perfect” phone calls to Georgia election officials, saying he did nothing wrong.
The grand jury also reviewed physical and digital evidence, as well as the testimony from investigators and the input of team of assistant district attorneys who outlined for the grand jury the applicable statutes and procedures.
The still-secret report also includes footnotes where the grand jurors had the chance to clarify their votes the various recommendations, according to the public excerpts. The conclusion of the grand jury report made public noted that members were not experts in criminal law or election law.
“The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained,” the excerpts said.
Before the Special Purpose Grand Jury was dissolved, it voted to recommend that the Final Report be published. The Special Purpose Grand Jury did not recommend a manner or time for such publication,” it reads.
The nine pages released Thursday were short and didn’t give much information about the investigation.
The Atlanta Grand Jury’s Recommendation for Multiple Accuracies: Is There More Than a Dwarf?
The foreperson of the grand jury in Atlanta told CNN that they recommended multiple indictments, and that the big name may be on the list.
“Can you imagine doing this for eight months and not coming out with a whole list” of recommended indictments, Emily Kohrs told CNN. It is not a short list. It is not.
She continued, “There may be some names on that list that you wouldn’t expect. I don’t think you will besurprised by the big name that everyone keeps asking about.
The special grand jury had 24 jurors, including alternates, although all 24 were never present to hear witness testimony together. Only Kohrs has spoken publicly so far.
Asked by CNN’s Kate Bolduan on “Erin Burnett OutFront” whether the number of people was “more than a dozen,” Kohrs replied: “I believe so. That is probably a good assumption.
Detecting Bias in a Grand Jury Foreperson Ebof: The Phone Conversation with the Georgia Attorney General and the President of the 2024 Campaign
Trump, who has launched his 2024 campaign for the White House, denies any criminal wrongdoing. He has claimed that Willis, a Democrat, is politically biased, and still regularly promotes the false claim that he actually won the election in Georgia.
I have heard the president on the phone a number of times, yes, I am positive. CNN previously reported that at least one additional call by Trump to a Georgia state official was part of the investigation.
Although Trump said that the prosecutors are liberals on a witch hunt, he was wrong. According to her, they acted with impartiality and tried to keep proceedings fair.
“I don’t believe there was bias on the part of the DA’s team,” she told CNN in the phone interview. “I know for a fact that they were always very worried about accidentally coloring our opinions one way or the other … They told us that they didn’t want any of their opinions to affect any of our opinions, or any of their additional knowledge to affect our knowledge.”
Personally, I hope that she takes a lot of decisive action, and actually acts to do something. “There are too many times in recent history that seem to me like someone has gotten called out for something that people had a problem with, and nothing ever happens.”
“How often does something actually happen? I would love to see something actually happen. Don’t make me take back my faith in the system,” Kohrs said. “The only thing I would be disappointed in, at this point, is if this whole thing just disappears. That’s the only thing that would make me sad.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/21/politics/fulton-county-trump-grand-jury-foreperson-ebof/index.html
Timing a Grand Jury: A Foreperson Who Was Not a White House Chief of Staff Michael Flynn and a Supersecretary Michael Kohrs
Michael Flynn, a former White House national security adviser, who invoked privilege and declined to answer some questions, was one of the witnesses the foreperson was pleasantly surprised by.
“Some of those people fought not to be there, but once they were there, they were willing to have a conversation, and I respect the hell out of that,” Kohrs said. Flynn was very nice in person. He was a nice man. He was definitely interesting. I don’t recall him saying anything earth- shattering.
Using the Fifth Amendment or citing various legal privileges was a strategy that the grand jury saw from several of the most prominent witnesses, including Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, according to Kohrs.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed that there was a former chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence who appeared before a grand jury. His appearance was reported by The Associated Press.
The Justice Department is investigating Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, and his possible mishandling of classified material. In New York, a criminal probe led by the Manhattan district attorney is still underway, and Trump’s namesake business is fighting a civil fraud lawsuit from the state attorney general.
It’s a marvel of the American judicial system that Emily Kohrs, a 30-year-old woman who has described herself as between customer service jobs and who said she didn’t vote in the 2020 presidential election, could play a pivotal role in the potential indictment of a former US president.
It is being speculated that the foreperson of the grand jury empaneled from May 22nd through January 15th in 2020 will help Fulton County, Georgia prosecutors investigate Donald Trump.
She joked that the special grand jury might have recommended charges for Trump, and said that she hoped something would come of it all.
The Foreperson Identity: Cecilia McBurney, Emily Kohrs What Matters About the Special Grand Jury of the US Attorney
Her identity as the foreperson was first revealed by The Associated Press, and in addition to the AP, she has, in short order, done interviews with The New York Times, NBC News, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN.
According to the former US Attorney, prosecutors have got to be aware that a potential jury pool could be contaminated by an odd fifteen minute PR tour.
“In terms of magnitude, I’m straining for the right adjectives, but it’d be the biggest thing that’s happened in the criminal law perhaps in American history, right? This is the first time it has happened to a former president.
McBurney said what the special grand jury heard was not a trial where a case is presented to a jury, but instead was a case that the District Attorney was in control of.
CNN’s Sara Murray reported Wednesday that Willis’ office was not responsible for authorizing whether or not members of the special grand jury could speak to the media and did not know ahead of time that Kohrs was going to go public, according to a source familiar with the situation.
“She didn’t do anything violative of her obligations,” Kreis said. I think she didn’t do anything that jeopardized the strategy of her client.
Kohrs told reporters McBurney gave the jury instructions, and she seemed to consider exactly how far she could go before answering reporters’ individual questions – though she also seemed to enjoy the opportunity to dish about the grand jury proceedings.
The US justice system depends on everyday people and the act of public embracing the role is fascinating.
Here are some of the key portions of that fascinating interview with CNN. I’ve paraphrased Bolduan’s questions and have noted Kohrs’ responses in italics.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/politics/georgia-grand-jury-emily-kohrs-what-matters/index.html
What Happened When President Donald Trump and I Was Invited to the Chambers for Investigations into a White House Report of the 1996 General Relativity Investigation
There is six pages in the middle that got cut from the report. It isn’t a short list if you allow for spacing.
I will tell you that it was a process where we heard his name a lot. We discussed former President Trump a lot in the room and we definitely heard a lot about him. And I will say that when this list comes out, you wouldn’t – there are no major plot twists waiting for you.
I don’t want to speak about something that the judge didn’t want to talk about at this point. I am unsure if I would interfere with the investigations. I do not know if I would interfere with the procedures. I don’t want to cross that line.
I wouldn’t say that. It ended up there because it was less pointed of a suggestion than other parts of the report the judge chose to keep confidential.
I will say that I thought it was important to keep it separate as well, at least in my opinion, not anybody else’s but mine. There is a difference between what was committed in the room and the crimes we were called to investigate.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/politics/georgia-grand-jury-emily-kohrs-what-matters/index.html
Why did the grand jury decide to ignore politics and bias when they impaled regular people? I’m not worried about my safety, nor do I think I should be concerned about anything
I’ve loved being a part of this process. It is amazing to be a part of that process for the first time. Being able to make the system work is a privilege and I think it is worth it.
The curtain was lifted on this so we could get a look at all these different things and the regular people were amazing. And I’m so glad that I did it.
I think it’s the opposite. I think that the grand jury chose to avoid politics and bias by impaneling regular people, because they didn’t want to raise questions about politics. Instead of anyone else, they chose to get 16 random people.
I am not. I want to be cautious about my safety. I am aware of my safety but not concerned. I don’t think I should be – I don’t think I did or any of the jury members did anything that says we believe one way or the other about politics, about any of these issues.
I think we were empaneled to find facts, and I think we did our best to find those facts and share those facts with the district attorney and her office.