The latest significant developments out of a special grand jury in Georgia probing Donald Trump’s election-stealing effort in the state are ramping up intrigue over a question the entire political world wants answered: Will the ex-president be indicted?
The latest significant developments out of a special grand jury in Georgia probing Donald Trump’s election-stealing effort in the state are ramping up intrigue over a question the entire political world wants answered: Will the ex-president be indicted?
An excerpt of the special grand jury’s report released Thursday showed that it recommended the district attorney seek indictments of one or more unnamed witnesses that it believed lied during testimony. Details on whether anyone should face charges on the underlying question – an alleged attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s election win – were not released. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had previously told a judge that charging decisions were “imminent” in the case.
It is not clear whether any indictments for perjury or anything else would involve Trump or those close to him. The ex-president did not testify before the special grand jury. And Trump maintains he did nothing wrong.
Thursday’s developments are likely to lead to nervous moments for some of the 75 witnesses who testified to the investigation. The tantalizing glimpse into a few of the grand jury’s conclusions also left outsiders considering whether the potential exposure of Trump and those around him had worsened in light of the new information. Also up in the air is how it would weigh on the mind of Willis as she considers decisions that could have a huge impact given the involvement of a former president who is an already declared candidate in the 2024 White House race.
The new developments in Georgia added another sobering dimension to an already grave set of criminal investigations surrounding Trump. There are signs that a special counsel probe into his actions before and during the January 6 insurrection in 2021 and his hoarding of classified documents is picking up considerable pace under special counsel Jack Smith. Last week for instance, it emerged that Smith had taken the extraordinary step of subpoenaing the testimony of a former vice president in relation to the January 6 case. Mike Pence has vowed to contest the subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court.
Questions about Georgia are complicated by the fact that Thursday’s excerpts came from a grand jury report that was only partially released. Such a document is, by definition, one-sided since witnesses do not testify alongside counsel or have a chance to rebut any accusations.
