ATLANTA — The Fulton County Superior Court on Thursday is slated to release sections of a special purpose grand jury’s final report examining efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
The three excerpts that will be publicly disclosed, however, are not expected to include the juiciest tidbits from the criminal investigation, including jurors’ expected recommendations on who should be charged with state crimes. Those portions are likely to be released only after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis makes indictment decisions.
The sections that will be unveiled sometime Thursday include the report’s introduction, conclusion and a segment in which grand jurors outline their concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony, Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in a recent order.
It’s unclear how detailed the excerpts will be, though the authors’ language and tone are expected to be picked apart by observers seeking hints on what’s been proposed. The document is not likely to include the names of those under investigation.
The full report almost certainly won’t see the light of day for months or longer. It’s expected to be among the most detailed accounts to date of efforts to contest Georgia’s vote count between November 2020 and January 2021.
Though many specifics have already been publicized by media outlets and the Jan. 6 committee on Capitol Hill, the document is expected to include substantial new findings, since jurors heard from several new witnesses under oath, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
The 23-member special grand jury delivered its recommendations to Fulton prosecutors in January. Willis has sole decision-making authority over whether to seek any indictments.
At a hearing last month, Willis heavily suggested that she planned to do so, telling McBurney that decisions were “imminent.”
The possibility that witnesses lied to the special grand jury raises the likelihood that people could be indicted for perjury, either as a standalone charge or a predicate act under the state’s anti-racketeering statute, though Willis has kept her plans close to the vest.
If she decides to pursue charges, Willis must present her case before a regular grand jury.
The special grand jury was seated last May to aid Willis in her probe of whether Trump or his supporters criminally interfered in Georgia’s last presidential election.
The group worked for nearly eight months, hearing from 75 witnesses, including top state officials, former White House aides and several of Trump’s closest advisers. But jurors did not seek testimony from the probe’s central figure: Trump himself, according to his Georgia attorneys.
Fulton prosecutors advised the special grand jury, issued subpoenas and led the questioning of witnesses, though jurors were able to ask their own questions and request evidence as they saw fit. A majority of jurors had to reach an agreement for items to be shared in the report.
Among the incidents jurors investigated was the Jan. 2, 2021, leaked phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump asked the fellow Republican to “find” 11,780 votes, one more than was needed to swing the outcome of the election. The panel also examined the appointment of a slate of 16 “alternate” Republican electors, testimony Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others gave to Georgia lawmakers, the alleged harassment of a Fulton poll worker and a breach of elections data in Coffee County, Ga.
At least 18 people were named investigation “targets” and warned by prosecutors that they could face charges. These include Giuliani and David Shafer, the head of the Georgia GOP who abruptly announced last week that he would not seek another term. More people could ultimately be indicted, or Willis could opt to focus on a smaller group or decline to prosecute anyone, though the latter is considered less likely.
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