Special Grand Jury in Georgia recommends indictments against Trump allies

Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is getting closer to indicting former president Donald Trump on election interference charges as a special grand jury today elected to file a lengthy list of charges against a number of Trump cohorts. The jury forewoman, Emily Kohrs reported in an interview today that “It is not a short list.”

Asked whether the jurors had recommended indicting Mr. Trump, Ms. Kohrs gave a cryptic answer: “You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science,” adding “you won’t be too surprised.”

In February of 2021, six weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the first African-American woman to hold the position, sent a letter to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other state officials asking that they keep documents related to “an investigation into attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election.’”

Since then, Willis has remained undeterred in her efforts to bring the former president and his “big lie,” conspirators to justice for attempting to change the election outcome in Georgia. Trump personally called and requested that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger fin 11,600 votes following the election results to change the outcome and ultimately hold on to the presidency. When Raffensberger explained that he could not and would not comply with Trump’s request, the ex POTUS resulted to threatening Raffensberger, saying that not complying with the request “would do irreparable harm to his career.”

“We definitely started with the first phone call, the call to Secretary Raffensperger that was so publicized,” said Ms. Kohrs, whom The Associated Press first named and spoke with on Tuesday about the election meddling investigation.

“I will tell you that if the judge releases the recommendations, it is not going to be some giant plot twist,” she added. “You probably have a fair idea of what may be in there. I’m trying very hard to say that delicately.”

If Mr. Trump were to be convicted of a state crime in New York or Georgia, a federal pardon would not be applicable. In Georgia, Mr. Trump cannot look to Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, for a state pardon, and not just because the two have a fractured relationship. In Georgia, pardons are granted only by the state board of pardons and paroles.

Trump also faces criminal charges in New York for allegedly paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 campaign.