Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, asked a judge on Thursday to approve a special grand jury to help investigate former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
In a letter to the chief judge of Fulton County’s Superior Court, Willis said her office has uncovered “information indicating a reasonable probability that the State of Georgia’s administration of elections in 2020, including the State’s election of the President of the United States, was subject to possible criminal disruptions.”
Willis added that she needs the help of the special grand jury – particularly its subpoena power – because key witnesses in her ongoing inquiry have refused to cooperate. She specifically mentioned Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Raffensperger is a key figure in the investigation because he was on the receiving end of a phone call in which Trump asked him to “find” enough votes to defeat Joe Biden, who ultimately won Georgia and the presidency.
The New York Times reports:
That was one of a number of steps taken by Mr. Trump and his allies to overturn Georgia’s election outcome.
Ms. Willis said last year that she would consider racketeering charges, among others. An analysis released last year by the Brookings Institution that has been studied by the D.A.’s office concluded that Mr. Trump’s postelection conduct in Georgia put him “at substantial risk of possible state charges,” including racketeering, election fraud solicitation, intentional interference with performance of election duties and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds:
Special grand juries, which typically have 16 to 23 members, can’t issue indictments. But they can subpoena witnesses, compel the production of documents, inspect and enter into certain offices for the purposes of the investigation.
Willis said a special grand jury would be beneficial because jurors can be impaneled for a longer period and would be focused on the one probe. A regular Fulton County grand jury is seated for two months. Jurors typically hear hundreds of felony cases before their service ends.