By Kate Brumback
Associated Press
Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter Thursday to the chief judge of the Superior Court of that county of Georgia, Christopher Brasher, requesting that a grand jury investigate the alleged maneuvers of former President Donald Trump to alter the result of the count of November 2020 elections.
In his letter, he indicates that the District Attorney's Office "received information indicating a reasonable probability that the administrators of the election in Georgia in 2020, including the presidential election,
were subject to possible criminal interference
."
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Trump at a rally in January 2022 in Arizona. Ross D. Franklin / AP
The prosecutor has declined to discuss the details of her investigation, but in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month, she confirmed that its scope includes, among others: a January 2, 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger;
another November 2020 call between Senator Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger;
the abrupt resignation of the federal prosecutor in Atlanta on January 4, 2021;
and comments made during the December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election.
A
Trump
spokesman
previously dismissed the investigation as a
politically motivated
"witch hunt
."
Graham has also denied any wrongdoing.
Willis' office has tried to interview multiple witnesses and gather evidence, but some witnesses and potential witnesses
have eventually refused to cooperate without a subpoena
, he wrote in the letter to Brasher.
The prosecutor said, for example, that a witness she describes as "essential," Raffensperger, "has indicated that he will not participate in an interview or offer evidence until my office presents him with a subpoena."
A special grand jury would have the power to subpoena witnesses.
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Raffensperger's office did not immediately respond to an email Thursday from The Associated Press asking if he would decline to participate without a subpoena.
Special grand juries, which are not used often in Georgia, can help investigate complex matters.
They do not have the power to bring charges, but they can make recommendations to prosecutors about criminal proceedings.
Willis said
the special jury is needed
because it can serve a longer term than the normal grand jury term.
You could also focus on this investigation alone, allowing you to focus on facts and circumstances that are already complex.
Having a special grand jury would also mean that a regular grand jury would not have to deal with this investigation on top of their other tasks and duties, Willis wrote.
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The prosecutor, who took office in January 2021, sent letters to top elected officials in Georgia in February directing them to preserve all records related to the presidential election, particularly any evidence of attempts to influence decisions by election officials.
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The investigation includes “potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting solicitation of voter fraud, making false statements to state and local government agencies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of the oath of office, and any involvement in violence or threats related to the administration of the elections.
”, said the letters.
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In his letter to Brasher, Willis said his office has learned that
people who may have tried to influence
the Georgia election have contacted the secretary of state, the state attorney general and the US attorney's office in Atlanta.
That means that your office is the only one with the authority to investigate these matters since you are not also a potential witness.