Georgia grand jury recommends perjury indictments in Trump probe

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Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop to unveil his leadership team, at the South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, US, January 28, 2023.

Shannon Stapleton | Reuters

A Georgia grand jury looking into possible election meddling by former President Donald Trump said “one or more witnesses” may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against the that case.

The special grand jury also found no significant fraud in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden, according to parts of the final report on its month-long investigation that was unsealed Thursday.

A grand jury was empaneled in May to investigate whether Trump, his lawyers and political allies committed any crimes in forcing state officials to overturn the election in his favor, but was acquitted by Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney withheld those conclusions until prosecutors were ready to release the full report at a later time.

The panel is looking at, among other things, a call on January 2, 2021, in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” which the former president needed to win the state and 16 votes in the Electoral College.

Raffensperger refused to comply with Trump’s request.

Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, said in a statement to NBC News that the former president “did absolutely nothing wrong.” He added, “The President participated in two perfect phone calls about the integrity of the election in Georgia, which he had the right to do.”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will decide whether Trump or anyone else will be charged in the case.

“The majority of the Grand Jury believed that perjury may have been committed by one or more of the witnesses testifying before it,” the report said. “The Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.”

The grand jury voted unanimously to conclude that “no massive fraud occurred in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in the overturning of that election,” according to the report.

In several pages unsealed Thursday, the grand jury said it received evidence involving more than 75 witnesses, most of whom testified in person and under oath.

The report noted that the panel’s extensive witness list included poll workers, investigators, technical experts and state officials, as well as “people who still claim that such fraud occurred .”

One of those witnesses, Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., told NBC on Thursday that he was “very confident” in the testimony he gave to the grand jury. Graham’s calls to top Georgia election officials after the 2020 election have been an area of ​​interest in Willis’ investigation.

“I have no idea what they’re going to do, I’ll just leave it up to them,” Graham said, adding that he’s confident he didn’t lie to himself.

The grand jury has 23 members and three alternates.

The Fulton County court in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023.

Dustin Chambers | Bloomberg | Getty Images

McBurney on Monday approved the release of three parts of the final report because they did not identify any witnesses.

But he ruled that disclosing the full report “at this time would be inappropriate,” citing due process concerns.

Georgia was one of several key swing states that gave Democratic nominee Biden his margin of victory in the Electoral College over Republican Trump.

Trump after Election Day falsely claimed that he won the popular vote both nationally and in swing states, arguing that he was denied victory in the Electoral College due to widespread ballot fraud. He said the election was “rigged” against him, citing a plethora of baseless conspiracy theories.

Multiple lawsuits filed in late 2020 by the Trump campaign seeking to overturn state election results have been almost entirely rejected in the courts.

After Raffensperger, Georgia’s top election official, rejected Trump’s request that he find enough votes to overturn his loss, the stage was set for Congress to confirm the Electoral College results on January 6, 2021. .

But that day, a violent mob of Trump supporters, spurred on by his false election statements, stormed the US Capitol, causing lawmakers to flee for safety. Hours later, after the mob had left the complex, a joint session of Congress confirmed Biden’s election victory.

Trump was impeached in the House on charges of inciting riots, but was later acquitted in the Senate.

Willis, the Fulton County DA, in February 2021 opened a criminal investigation into Trump’s call to Raffensperger.

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