Georgia grand jury recommends perjury indictments in Trump election meddling probe
Georgia grand jury recommends perjury indictments in Trump election meddling probe
PUBLISHED THU, FEB 16 202311:12 AM ESTUPDATED THU, FEB 16 20232:29 PM EST
Kevin Breuninger@KEVINWILLIAMB
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KEY POINTS
- A Georgia grand jury said one or more witnesses in a criminal probe of former President Donald Trump may have lied under oath while testifying.
- The panel recommeded that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis pursue indictments for perjury in those cases.
- The grand jury, which investigated Trump for possibly illegal meddling in the state’s 2020 presidential election, said it found no significant fraud in that race, which President Joe Biden won.
- The section of the report that will reveal if the panel believes that Trump, his lawyers or political allies should be indicted remains under seal.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop to unveil his leadership team, at the South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 28, 2023.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
A Georgia grand jury looking into possible election meddling by former President Donald Trump said “one or more witnesses” may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to pursue criminal indictments in those cases.
The special grand jury also found no significant fraud in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden, according to portions of the final report on its monthslong investigation unsealed Thursday.
The grand jury was impaneled in May to investigate whether Trump, his lawyers and political allies committed any crimes in pressuring state officials to overturn the election in his favor, but Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney withheld those conclusions until prosecutors are ready to release the full report at a later time.
The panel was looking at, among other things, a Jan. 2, 2021, call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” which is what the former president would have needed to win the state and its 16 Electoral College votes.
Raffensperger refused to comply with Trump’s request.
Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, said in a statement to NBC News that the former president “did absolutely nothing wrong.” He added, “The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will determine whether to charge Trump or anyone else in the case.
