Grand jury hears from witnesses through the night in Fulton County

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A grand jury in Georgia heard from witnesses into the evening Monday in the election subversion investigation into Donald Trump, a long day of testimony punctuated by the mysterious and brief appearance on a county website of a list of criminal charges against the former president that prosecutors later disavowed.

Prosecutors in Fulton County were presenting evidence to the grand jury as they pushed toward a likely indictment, summoning multiple former state officials including the ex-lieutenant governor as witnesses.

I can confirm that I have been requested to testify before the Fulton County grand jury on Tuesday. I look forward to answering their questions around the 2020 election.

Republicans should never let honesty be mistaken for weakness. https://t.co/3j73O1kLNj
— Geoff Duncan (@GeoffDuncanGA) August 12, 2023

The DA’s investigation was prompted by a Jan. 2, 2021 phone call when the former president reached out to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger suggesting he could help to “find 11,780 votes” needed to put him ahead of Biden in Georgia.

Willis has investigated Trump’s alleged 2020 election interference for one and a half years now. She opened a criminal investigation “into attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election” in February 2021.

She has previously said that she is planning to make a “historical decision” regarding her investigation against the former president.

Trump’s attorneys have stated that they filed a motion in Fulton County Superior Court, arguing “Willis should be disqualified from her investigation and that she is using the case to raise re-election funds.”

Former federal prosecutor and current associate professor of law at Georgia State University College of Law Caren Morrison said that it is not the same thing as a trial but rather an initial check that there is enough evidence to go forward.

“I suppose it’s possible that she could issue an indictment as early as Tuesday. It could be that she has other witnesses that she wants to put in the grand jury and therefore it be a few days later, but it certainly looks like this is the week,” Morrison said.

It is expected that a Fulton County grand jury will decide if Trump is charged with election interference.

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