Next week, Georgia’s secretary to state will appear before a special grand jury in an investigation into whether ex-President Donald Trump and others attempted to interfere in the 2020 elections in the state.
According to a subpoena obtained through an open records request by The Associated Press, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was summoned to appear before a special grand jury on Thursday. His office has also received subpoenas for five other individuals. Chris Carr, the State Attorney General, has been subpoenaed to appear on June 21.
Trump vented his anger at Raffensperger (a Republican) after Raffensperger refused to give in to the pressure to reverse the narrow victory of Joe Biden in Georgia’s presidential election. Raffensperger, a Trump-endorsed candidate, won Tuesday’s Republican primary to win his bid for reelection.
Fani Willis, Fulton County District Attorney, opened the investigation shortly after she assumed office in January 2021. When she requested a special jury earlier in the year, Fani Willis made it clear that her one purpose was to issue subpoenas for people who might not cooperate.
Although 23 members of the special Grand Jury and three alternates were chosen May 2, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney who is overseeing the panel said that the grand jurors would not begin to meet until June.
Willis confirmed that her investigation included an inquiry into Trump’s January 2021 call in which Raffensperger was urged to “find the votes” to win the state.
The grand jury is looking for documents that “memorize the events”, anything that “explains the conduct of the president during that call, as well as any telephone call logs between Raffensperger and Trump.
They requested any document that would show the audit results and hand-count the results of 2020’s presidential election, as well as a forensic audit on the state’s voting apparatus.
Other people summoned by the secretary of state’s offices include Gabriel Sterling, chief operational officer; Ryan Germany; general counsel; Chris Harvey; former head of elections divisions; Frances Watson; former chief investigator; Victoria Thompson; a former executive assistant and now legislative liaison.
Willis also stated that her team is considering a November 2020 call between U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, Raffensperger and Willis. This would be in light of the sudden resignation of U.S. Attorney in Atlanta on January 4, 2021 and comments made during the December 2020 Georgia legislative hearings about the election.
Trump said that his call with Raffensperger had been “perfect” and that he did not do anything wrong. Graham also denied any wrongdoing.
It is not known what charges Willis might choose to bring against Trump or anyone else. In a letter she wrote to high-ranking state officials last summer, she stated that she was investigating “potential violations” of Georgia law. This includes the solicitation of fraud and the making of false statements before state and local bodies. She also mentioned conspiracy, racketeering and violation of the oath.
