Election 2020

Trump’s Legal Problems in Georgia are Getting Much Worse and It’s Obvious Why He’s Acting So Scared

A prosecutor in Atlanta has spent considerable time weighing whether or not Donald Trump and others have committed crimes by trying to force Georgia officials to overturn President Joe Biden’s election victory. Now Fani Willis, the District Attorney for Fulton County, said a decision on whether to bring charges could come as early as the first half of this year, ABC News reports.

In an interview with the Associated Press last week, Willis said that her team is making steady progress. She indicated she’s considering calling for a special grand jury with subpoena power to aid the investigation.

“I believe in 2022 a decision will be made in that case,” Willis told ABC News. “I certainly think that in the first half of the year that decisions will be made.”

But Willis mentioned she hasn’t implemented deadlines for her staff and is urging them to be thorough in their examination.

She’s put together a team of fewer than 10 people — lawyers, investigators, and a legal assistant. Each, she noted, is primarily focused on this case and can consult outside lawyers who are well-versed in certain areas of law.

And Willis certainly sounds like she knows what she’s doing.

“We’re going to get just the facts, get the law, be very methodical, very patient and, in some extent, unemotional about this quest for justice,” she said.

Willis had no comments about the specifics. She did, however, confirm that the scope of the investigation includes — but isn’t limited to — the phone call on Jan. 2, 2021, between then-president Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Nov. 2020 phone call between Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham (South Carolina) and Raffensperger, the sudden resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta in early January 2021. Willis and her team are also reviewing comments made during a December 2020 legislative committee hearing on the election.

And of course, Willis’ inquiry isn’t the only state criminal investigation surrounding Trump that’s going on. New York prosecutors have subpoenaed Trump, his eldest son Donald Trump Jr., and eldest daughter Ivanka Trump as they investigate the former president’s business dealings.

As you might expect, a spokesman for Trump is dismissing the Fulton investigation by using one of Trump’s favorite terms — describing it as a politically motivated “witch hunt,” after it became public in February when Willis instructed Georgia’s top elected officials to preserve records related to the general election. Of particular interest to her are documents that show any evidence of attempts to influence election officials.

Per ABC News, the probe includes “potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local government bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration,” the letters said.

Willis hasn’t decided yet whether to ask the chief judge of the Fulton County Superior Court to gather a grand jury. Willis notes that she herself could decide whether she has enough evidence and witnesses willing to speak to her team to make an indictment, she said a special grand jury can be instrumental in compelling people who may otherwise refuse to speak without a subpoena.

“I like investigations to be complete and so we probably would move in the direction of a special grand jury,” Willis said.

I’m glad this woman is on the case. She sounds tough and fearless, but even so, it’s anyone’s guess how this will turn out. Kudos to Willis for giving it a good try, anyway.

meet the author

Megan has lived in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida and she currently lives in Central America. Living in these places has informed her writing on politics, science, and history. She is currently owned by 15 cats and 3 dogs and regularly owns Trump supporters when she has the opportunity. She can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GaiaLibra and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/politicalsaurus

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