Parts of a Georgia grand jury report pertaining to an investigation into whether then-President Donald Trump and members of his 2020 campaign illegally interfered with the state’s election are slated for release this week, according to a report.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered that three sections must be revealed on Thursday — the introduction, the conclusion, and a section in which the grand jury “discusses its concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony to the grand jury.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, most of the report will remain confidential for the time being. That includes the portions recommending whether certain people should be indicted and charged.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the investigation, argued in court last month against making any portion of the report public.
“We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly, it is not appropriate at this time to have this report released,” Willis said. In addition, she ominously told the judge, “decisions are imminent.”
Fulton County DA Fani Willis, "We are asking that the report not be released because you haven't seen that report. Decisions are imminent." pic.twitter.com/tsABRDlFyk
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 24, 2023
The Daily Wire added:
During that hearing in January, McBurney was listening to arguments on whether the report is a presentment and is therefore required to be released under Georgia law because the grand jurors recommended their findings be publicized.
A group of media organizations made the case for its release, calling the inquiry a “matter of profound public interest that goes to the heart of the nation’s democratic forms of government.”
In his Monday order, the judge noted that “while publication may not be convenient for the pacing of the District Attorney’s investigation, the compelling public interest in these proceedings and the questionable value and importance of transparency require their release.”
The grand jury was empaneled by Willis in 2022 and completed its work a few weeks ago.
“Several high-profile witnesses testified before the special grand jury, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani,” the Daily Wire noted further, adding that the panel had the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents but could not issue indictments, hence the report which may or may not recommend them.
Early Wednesday, following the Nov. 3 election in 2020, InsiderAdvantage called Georgia for Trump, though mainstream media outlets refused to do so. Late in the evening of the 3rd, Trump was leading in the state by 100,000 votes, according to previous reports.
Georgia insiders saying it’s ridiculous media are refusing to admit Trump has won the state. BREAKING NEWS: InsiderAdvantage calls Georgia for Trump https://t.co/i3swzpiVvx
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) November 4, 2020
At the time, InsiderAdvantage Chairman Matt Towery said, “I was amazed that Georgia was not called last night. There are not enough votes available to bring this race much closer or to create a contested situation. There was no Democratic wave in Georgia, despite what most pollsters and the national media had trumpeted.”
