Georgia special grand jury finishes probe of 2020 election
CTV
The special grand jury in Atlanta that has been investigating whether then-U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies committed any crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia has finished its work.
The special grand jury in Atlanta that has been investigating whether then-U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies committed any crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia has finished its work.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who was overseeing the panel, issued an order Monday dissolving the special grand jury. The two-page order says the grand jurors completed a final report and that a majority of the county's superior court judges voted to dissolve the special grand jury.
The end of the special grand jury moves the investigation one step closer to possible criminal charges against Trump and others. The decision whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury will be up to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Over the course of about six months, the special grand jury has heard testimony from dozens of witnesses, including numerous close Trump associates and assorted high-ranking Georgia state officials. The case is among several around the country that threaten legal peril for the former president as he seeks a second term in 2024.
Special grand juries in Georgia cannot issue indictments but instead can issue a final report recommending actions to be taken.
Georgia law says that grand juries are "authorized to recommend to the court the publication of the whole or any part of their general presentments" and that the judge must follow that recommendation. The special grand jury voted to recommend that its report be published, McBurney wrote in his order.
"Unresolved is the question of whether the special purpose grand jury's final report constitutes a presentment," the judge wrote, adding that he will hold a hearing on Jan. 24 on that issue. He said the district attorney's office and news outlets will be given a chance to make arguments at that hearing.
