Georgia grand jury recommends indictments in Trump probe

The forewoman of a special grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia revealed Tuesday that the panel recommended multiple indictments to the Atlanta-area district attorney leading the probe. 

Forewoman Emily Kohrs told the New York Times that the special grand jury’s recommendations are “not going to be some giant plot twist,” but wouldn’t name specific individuals the panel suggested be charged with crimes. 

“It is not a short list,” Kohrs told the outlet. 

When asked whether Trump, 76, was recommended for indictment, Kohrs responded: “You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science,” before adding, “You won’t be too surprised.”

The special grand jury, empaneled in May of last year, subpoenaed dozens of witnesses over the course of its investigation into alleged attempts by Trump and his allies to interfere in the state’s 2020 election, including Trump’s lawyer and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched the probe after audio of Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, call with Raffensperger revealed that the then-president appeared to try and pressure the state’s top election official to illegally alter the vote count to allow Trump to defeat Joe Biden in the Peach State. 

“All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump told Raffensperger. “Because we won the state.”

Raffensperger rejected Trump’s request.

“We definitely started with the first phone call, the call to Secretary Raffensperger that was so publicized,” Kohrs told the Times of the panel’s 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.”

Special grand juries in Georgia do not have indictment powers; the ultimate charging decisions will be up to Willis. 

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney dissolved the special grand jury last month and recommended that its report be made public. 

Sections of the report were released last week and indicated that “perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying.”

The group of 26 jurors also said they unanimously found no evidence to back the 45th president’s claims that widespread voter fraud cost him Georgia’s 16 electoral votes.

The former commander-in-chief commented on the Georgia investigation in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, calling Willis, who is black, a “Racist in Reverse,” and arguing that the probe is an attempt to stifle free speech. 

“This is the real crime that took place in Georgia, with a Racist in Reverse D.A., who presides over the most dangerous city per capita in our Nation (by far!), Atlanta, does nothing but harass me for making two absolutely PERFECT phone calls, and for any other fake reason that the Department of Injustice in D.C. tells her to pursue,” Trump said.

“They are demanding silence from people from protesting, or even discussing, Election results, because that’s the place they just don’t want to get anywhere near!”