Left: FILE – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis poses for a portrait, April 19, 2023, in Atlanta (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File). Right: Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, Friday, June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The grand jury that will decide whether a Georgia district attorney has enough evidence to indict Donald Trump for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election has been selected, according to reports.
Two grand jury panels were selected over the course of around three hours on Tuesday at the Fulton County Superior Court, according to a CNN report. Each panel consists of 26 people in total: 23 grand jurors and three alternates. According to CNN, the grand juries will meet separately, twice a week, for two months, and hear evidence presented by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in order to determine whether there is enough to support claims that Trump illegally attempted to interfere with the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
On Jan. 2, 2021, Trump called Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and demanded that he “find 11,780 votes” — enough to overturn President Joe Biden’s win in the Peach State — or potentially face criminal consequences. Raffensperger refused. Shortly after the call came to light, Trump released a statement referring to the conversation as “an absolutely PERFECT phone call.”
Willis, who has been investigating potential interference on the part of the former president since February 2021, has previously indicated that indictments may be handed down sometime in August, although CNN reported that she has also told local police that possible charges could be announced between July 11 and Sept. 1.
Over the course of around six months in 2022, a special grand jury heard evidence from prominent figures in Trump’s orbit, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. That special jury, which did not have the power to make an actual decision to indict the former president, recommended in a February report that Willis nevertheless issue “appropriate indictments” in the matter. It was not immediately clear who the special grand jury felt could be subject to indictment.
“A majority of the Grand Jury believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it,” the special grand jury report says. “The Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.”
CNN noted that the two grand juries seated in Fulton County on Tuesday will hear criminal cases other than the one against Trump, and only one of the panels will be tasked with ultimately deciding whether to approve any indictments.
Adam Klasfeld contributed to this report.
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