Georgia District Attorney Notes ‘Inevitable’ Decisions on Charge of Trying to Defend Grand Jury Report

A Georgia prosecutor investigating whether former President Trump and his allies violated any laws in an effort to influence the outcome of the 2020 election asked the judge to keep the grand jury report detailing the investigation closed, saying decisions to indict multiple people are “inevitable.” ”

The investigation, led by Fulton County District Attorney Fanny Willis (R), is in response to Trump’s phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) just before January 6, 2021, asking him to “find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.” eat”.

The report is expected to include recommendations to Willis on whether charges should be brought against Trump and others involved in numerous activities, including a conspiracy to send so-called alternative electors from the state that President Biden won.

The jurors involved in preparing the report had previously determined that it should be made public, but the final decision on whether to do so rests with Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who weighs whether it should be done and whether any fixes. open the document.

Willis cautioned the court against releasing the report anytime soon, saying it could affect many defendants’ right to a fair trial.

“We must remember to protect the rights of future accused. And so the state doesn’t want that to happen – and I don’t think there’s any way that the court can guarantee – that if this report is released, then somehow arguments can be made that it will affect the right of later persons – several – to get a fair trial, to have a fair hearing, to be able to stand trial in that jurisdiction,” Willis said at the start of the hearing.

“Decisions are inevitable,” she added.

Much of the hearing focused on whether the report qualifies as a “submission” under Georgia’s complex laws regarding special grand juries. If so, McBurney would have to follow the jury’s recommendation and release him.

McBurney did not issue an immediate ruling from the dock and said he expects to send additional questions to lawyers from both the state and the media, which on Tuesday called for the release of the documents.

The special grand jury, which was dissolved on January 9, considered a range of actions in the state beyond the now-infamous phone call, and included speeches—many court-ordered—by numerous Trump allies.

Appearing before the jury were former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, his then lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C.).

Willis revealed a new detail in her opening remarks, noting that the grand jury heard a total of 75 witnesses.

Many see the investigation as one of the most likely ways to prosecute Trump.

november prosecution memorandum prepared through the Brookings Institution found numerous state and federal laws that could be violated as a result of attempts to reverse the election results.

Trump’s lawyers said on Monday they would not attend the hearing, noting that the former president was never subpoenaed or asked to voluntarily appear before a grand jury.

“It can be assumed that the grand jury did its job and considered the facts and the law, as we did, and concluded that President Trump did not violate the law,” said lawyers Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg and Jennifer Little. joint statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

However, 16 Republicans who gathered at the Georgia Capitol on December 14, 2020 as part of a plot to falsely confirm Trump’s election results were informed that they were under investigation and could be prosecuted.

Informal hearings held by Giuliani with state legislators to address unsubstantiated allegations of fraud were also reviewed, and Giuliani was also informed that he could face prosecution.

The court documents also detailed other areas of interest, including the abrupt resignation of B.J. Park, then-state U.S. Attorney, after he determined that Giuliani’s claims that there were “suitcases” full of ballots that have been mistreated have no basis. electoral workers.

Donald Wakeford, Willis’ deputy, noted that the district attorney’s office had just over a week to study the report and determine how to proceed with any charges.

“The District Attorney, in their ongoing investigation, should evaluate what was provided by the Special Purpose Grand Jury. … There was no way for this office to substantively include anything in the document in the ongoing investigation,” he said.

“Our position should not be understood as sweeping opposition to the publication of the report forever and for the rest of the century,” he later added.

Tom Clyde, a lawyer who speaks for numerous media outlets, said prosecutors often have to get involved with the release of information while continuing their investigation and that the DA’s office hasn’t provided enough detail about how their cases could be damaged.

“We believe the report should be published now and in full,” he said.

“It is not unusual for a district attorney or prosecutor’s office to feel uncomfortable disclosing information during a case. This happens all the time,” he said, adding that judges often authorize disclosure “because public confidence in the judiciary is greatly enhanced when it operates in public.”

McBurney said any possible decision to release the papers would first be announced in an order that would indicate a future release date for the report.

Justice Department sues Google over digital ad dominance Judge backs Whole Foods firing of workers who wore Black Lives Matter masks

He noted that there had been “very few” previous cases on similar matters, and that while some reports had been released, “that doesn’t mean it was right.”

“I just want to think about it because the work done by the Special Purpose Grand Jury is clearly of great interest,” he said. “And we must respond to what may be contrary to the interest of the District Attorney’s investigation and the public interest in understanding what her colleagues, members of the Special Grand Jury, did after they heard the evidence presented. them.”

Updated at 14:10

Content Source

News Press Ohio – Latest News:
Columbus Local News || Cleveland Local News || Ohio State News || National News || Money and Economy News || Entertainment News || Tech News || Environment News

Related Articles

Back to top button