Criminal Charges Against Donald Trump As Georgia Grand Jury Completes Its Probe?

The special grand jury in Atlanta had been probing whether then-President Donald Trump and his team committed crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 U.S. Presidential election loss in Georgia. Now, it has finished its work.

According to Reuters, it remained unclear whether criminal charges against Trump and others will follow. On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who was overseeing the panel, issued an order that dissolved the grand jury. The order said that the jury had completed its work and submitted a final report. The probe has been one of several around America that threaten legal peril for Trump as he gears up for a third bid for the White House.

The decision whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury will depend on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, reported the Associated Press. The special grand jury recommended that its report be made public, McBurney wrote in the order. He set Jan. 24 as the date for hearing to determine whether all or part of the report should be released. He said that the district attorney’s office and media houses would be given an opportunity to make arguments at the hearing.

Since June 2022, the special grand jury has heard testimony from dozens of witnesses. The list includes many close Trump aides such as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and the former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. High-ranking Georgia officials have also testified. Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are among them.

Last month, the committee that was investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot said in its final report that Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the U.S Capitol on the day of the riot. The report concluded an eighteen-month probe into Trump and the violent attack. Special grand juries in Georgia are not allowed to issue indictments, but they can recommend actions to be taken in their final report.

Willis started the investigation in early 2021, soon after a recording of a Jan. 2, 2021 phone call between Trump and Raffensperger emerged. During that call, Trump suggested that the state’s top elections official could “find” the votes that were needed to overturn his loss in Georgia.

As for Trump, he has denied wrongdoing in Georgia. He has continued to claim falsely that his election loss in 2020 was due to widespread voting fraud.

The Georgia probe was one of many civil and criminal investigations threatening Trump and his aides. The Department of Justice has separate probes into his actions following the election and his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021 and moving to Florida.