- A Georgia special grand jury finished its report on Donald Trump's alleged 2020 election interference.
- Another grand jury would read it and decide whether to bring criminal indictments.
An Atlanta grand jury has completed its report exploring whether Donald Trump and his allies broke the law when attempting to overturn 2020 election results in Georgia.
The 26-member special grand jury had the power to subpoena evidence and witnesses, but not to bring indictments. It was convened by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in May to investigate former President Donald Trump's calls to state officials in the wake of his 2020 election loss, asking them to "find" enough votes to reverse the result.
Now, Willis must decide whether to send that report to another grand jury, which will decide whether to bring criminal indictments. In addition to Trump, the grand jury's investigation examined his allies who plotted to send fake electors to Congress on January 6, 2021, and hand Trump a second term.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, in an order announcing the completion of the special grand jury's work, scheduled a January 24 hearing to decide whether the report should be made public.
The jurors who wrote the report recommended that it should be, McBurney wrote.
The Georgia investigation, which is criminal in nature, is one of Trump's most severe legal risks. Willis has moved swiftly and fought court battles to enforce the grand jury's subpoenas and bring a parade of high-profile witnesses before the special grand jury, including Gov. Brian Kemp; the state's Republican Party chairman, David Shafer; Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; Trump's ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows, and more than a dozen others who communicated with Trump at the time that he challenged the election results.
"The Court thanks the grand jurors for their dedication, professionalism, and significant commitment of time and attention to this important matter. It was no small sacrifice to serve," McBurney wrote in his order.
According to an analysis from the Brookings Institution, Trump and the fake electors could face charges of election fraud, improperly trying to influence government officials, and criminal solicitation.
If Willis convenes another grand jury to weigh bringing indictments — as she is widely expected to do — that grand jury would move relatively quickly. It would sit for up to two months, and would already have all the evidence and witness transcripts gathered by the special grand jury in front of them.
If that other grand jury does decide to bring criminal charges against Trump, he would be required to appear in court in Atlanta for his arraignment hearing.
Trump has other legal cases to juggle as well. This week, his company and its former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, are scheduled to be sentenced in a Manhattan court after being found guilty last year of a long-running tax fraud scheme. The investigation is ongoing, and the Manhattan district attorney's office hasn't publicly ruled out charging Trump himself.
The former president also faces a litany of civil cases, including a rape lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, an upcoming trial for a lawsuit from a group of plaintiffs who alleged he hawked a multilevel-marketing scam, a case from the New York attorney general's office over allegedly fraudulent business practices, and a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a Capitol police officer who died after the January 6 riot.
On a federal level, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is overseeing a pair of criminal investigations into the fake electors scheme, as well as Trump's possession of government documents after he left office.
Willis's case would likely have the edge in moving forward, given how far along it is and the strength of the evidence, Ronald L. Carlson, a professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, previously told Insider.
"So far as I know, in none of these other investigations do they have a recording of former President Trump trying to persuade officials to take certain actions," Carlson said. "The secretary of state of Georgia is responsible for that. He's the one that recorded the phone call, which said, 'Brad, I want you to find me 11,780 new votes.'"