Georgia prosecutor reveals timeline for Trump criminal investigation
Fulton County’s district attorney said she expects witness testimonies to begin June 1 in a criminal investigation into whether former President Donald Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election results illegally in Georgia.
Selection for a special purpose grand jury will begin May 2, but witness testimonies won’t start until after the Georgia primaries on May 24, District Attorney Fani Willis told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I don’t want anyone to say, ‘Oh, she’s doing this because she wants to influence the outcome of this upcoming election,'” Willis said in an interview Monday. “The people will decide the outcome of this upcoming election. It will have nothing to do with this district attorney’s office.”
The monthlong gap in between jury selection and witness testimonies will be used to send subpoenas for witnesses reluctant to testify on the matter, including at least 30 people who previously denied interviews.
Willis indicated 50 people have already voluntarily testified and that there are about 60 more her office is hoping to speak with in the coming weeks.
Though Willis has not released a specific list of witnesses, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could be among those asked to testify. Willis’s investigation began after Trump made a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Raffensperger in which the former president urged him to “find” the 11,780 votes he needed to win the state. Raffensperger is running for reelection for Georgia secretary of state and will be on the Republican primary ballot in May.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed concerns about his “perfect” call to Raffensperger. President Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential contender to carry Georgia since former President Bill Clinton in 1992. Trump alleged widespread voter fraud was responsible for his loss in several swing states, including Georgia. The Trump campaign and allies pursued several lawsuits over the matter, the majority of which were tossed by federal judges.
The special grand jury has been authorized to continue through spring 2023, but Willis said in February that she expects to take action “within a year.” The district attorney is looking into several possible state law violations, including election fraud, intentional interference with the performance of election duties, and conspiracy.
Photo: Fulton County Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis