Georgia’s probe into Trump’s election meddling is close to recommending charges

A Georgia grand jury has seen a flood of high-profile witnesses as the panel is set to decide whether or not to recommend indictments against former President Donald Trump.

The grand jury began investigating Trump, 76, after a leaked phone conversation between him and Georgia’s Foreign Minister Brad Raffensperger, 67, in 2021. In the infamous call, then-President Raffensperger called for nearly 12,000 votes to secure him victory in the state.

The special grand jury interviewed several high-profile Trump allies, including former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn and Lindsey Graham, among others.

Now, as it nears its conclusion, the jury is expected to write a report deciding whether or not to propose indictments against Trump. The 23 citizens on the panel cannot bring charges themselves, but will make recommendations to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the investigation.

A Georgia grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump, 76, (pictured) after a leaked phone call between him and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, 67, where Trump asked him to find nearly 12,000 votes

Raffensperger (pictured), a former Trump supporter, declined to overturn the election. The 23-member Citizens Panel is expected to complete its investigation and produce a report that will be presented to the Fulton District Attorney’s lead investigator, Fani Willis. The report includes whether fees are recommended or not

Willis began investigating Trump after the January 2, 2021 phone call in which Trump said to Raffensperger, “Look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, that’s one more than we have…

“So tell me Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election and it’s not fair to take it away from us like that.’

Raffensperger declined to “find” additional ballots.

The Secretary of State confirmed Biden’s victory and then counted the ballots three more times before the January call.

Biden, 80, became the first Democrat to win the state of Georgia since 1992 – a vote confirmed after two recounts and a partial forensic examination, both conducted by Raffensperger.

Trump declared his call to be “absolutely PERFECT” on his Truth Social platform. and called Willis’ investigation a “witch hunt”.

Willis has gone to great lengths to speak to Trump’s inner circle and prevailed in many legal challenges to subpoenas.

“What these witnesses have in common is that they offer real potential for the district attorney to personally tie Donald Trump to what happened,” Clark D. Cunningham, a professor in the College of Law at Georgia State University, told the Wall StreetJournal.

In addition to the phone call, Willis’ investigation also expanded on 16 alternative voters who signed forged documents declaring Trump the winner. The alternative voters argue they did nothing wrong and only paved a way to declare Trump the winner.

In addition to the phone call, Willis’ investigation was also expanded to include 16 alternative voters who signed forged documents declaring Trump the winner (Image: Willis).

Hours after Willis formally requested a grand jury into her investigation, Trump released a statement vehemently defending his January 2021 call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

Trump is also under federal investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith (pictured) over the classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago mansion

David Shafer, leader of the Georgia Republican Party, and Burt Jones, the state’s lieutenant governor-elect, are among the 16 electors.

Willis has faced widespread criticism, with many saying she’s only investigating Trump to gain status.

Andrew Fleischman, an attorney at Sessions & Fleischman, told WSJ that the panel is a “great way to build your national profile and talk to a lot of reporters.”

She also faced criticism after appearing at fellow Democrat Charlie Bailey’s fundraiser, which people said posed a conflict of interest when he went up against Jones.

To clarify that, according to the WSJ, a judge stated that no further proceedings could be instituted against Jones.

In addition to the Georgia investigation, Trump is also under federal investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith over the classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago mansion.