The Georgia grand jury conducting a criminal investigation into whether there were «coordinated attempts to unlawfully tamper with the outcome of the 2020 election» in the state by former President Donald Trump and his allies has completed its job, a judge said in a ruling issued on Monday. .
The grand jury was convened for an investigation into «‘facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to possible attempts to disrupt the lawful administration of the 2020 election in the State of Georgia’ and to prepare a report on whether anyone should be prosecuted for such potential crimes,» Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said in a ruling.
His ruling dissolved the panel because he completed his work and submitted his report on his findings to the Fulton County district attorney’s office. The ruling, which was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionhe did not say what those findings were.
«The Court thanks the members of the grand jury for their dedication, professionalism, and significant commitment of time and attention to this important matter. Serving was no small sacrifice,» the judge wrote.
The special purpose grand jury is different from a typical grand jury: it presents its findings in a report to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who then decides whether to present evidence to a grand jury for criminal prosecutions.
A spokesman for Willis declined to comment. A Trump spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Willis convened the special grand jury last year because the panel had the power to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify. Among those questioned about their efforts to overturn the results in the state were Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who had been pressured by Trump and his allies to rig the outcome of the 2020 election, also testified.
Among the incidents Willis is reviewing is Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021 phone call with Raffensperger in which he urged the state’s top election official to annul Joe Biden’s victory. “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state,» Trump said on the call.
Trump has maintained that he did nothing wrong in the Raffensperger call, describing it as «perfect.»
It is unclear when the grand jury report will be made public. The judge scheduled a hearing on whether this should be the case. McBurney’s order said that the grand jury «certified that it voted to recommend that its report be released.»
Alexander Blayne Y charlie gile contributed.
