Special Grand Jury in Georgia Casting Its Net for Donald Trump and His Allies – A forewoman of a special purpose grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia is making a media tour answering questions from multiple media outlets about the findings of the panel.
This relates to Donald Trump allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State.
The appearances in front of the media by Emily Kohrs could endanger the case against Trump and lead his attorneys to try and quash any indictments against the former president and his allies, two sources close to the case told CBS News.
Could Criminal Indictments Be Forthcoming?
The special grand jury ended its deliberations and portions of its report were made public, but the court likely did not foresee the forewoman Kohrs making such elaborate statements to print and broadcast journalists including CNN and the Associated Press.
Kohrs clearly relished her role on the special grand jury. This panel can make no indictments, but it will recommend either Donald Trump or those in his orbit be indicted by a traditional criminal grand jury should one be convened by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis.
Forewoman Cagey About Whether Donald Trump Will Be Indicted
Kohrs made a multitude of statements about the case. The most eyebrow raising comments were the admission that Trump was not questioned by the special grand jury. When asked directly by the New York Times whether the body recommended indicting Trump, Kohrs replied, “You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science.”
“I will tell you that it was a process where we heard his name a lot,” Kohrs said on CNN on February 21.
“We definitely heard a lot about former President Trump, and we definitely discussed him a lot in the room. And I will say that when this list comes out, you wouldn’t — there are no major plot twists waiting for you.”
Ball in District Attorneys Court
Kohrs said the special grand jury advised the district attorney to make at least 12 indictments. Willis has said the decision to impanel a criminal grand jury was “imminent,” although she has made no decision yet.
Fodder for Defense Attorneys
Defense attorneys are likely to seize on Kohrs’ comments and file a motion to disregard any potential indictments against Donald Trump because they believe the forewoman has revealed deliberations that could bias the traditional grand jury and unfairly put pressure on Willis to proceed with criminal charges.
Defense attorneys could also write a motion to change the venue of any upcoming trial.
The special grand jury heard from 75 witnesses since May of last year.
Potential charges include perjury for some of the witnesses.
Origins of the Case
The investigation was triggered by a phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after Donald Trump lost the state to President Joe Biden.
Trump allegedly pressured Raffensperger to find “11,780 votes” that would reverse the results in Trump’s favor.
Donald Trump said the call was “perfect.” He has also claimed on his social network Truth Social that the legal proceedings are an “illegal kangaroo court.”
Trump Attorneys Could Pounce on the Media Comments from Forewoman
Trump’s attorneys will be examining legal options based on the forewoman’s public statements if Donald Trump is later indicted. Donald Trump has said repeatedly claimed that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election in states such as Georgia.
Special grand jury witnesses included former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
A representative from Dominion Voting Systems was questioned by the special grand jury about voting irregularities alleged by Trump and his circle.
The forewoman said that particular testimony was “fascinating.”
The special grand jury’s report revealed there was no evidence of widespread fraud in Georgia’s 2020 election.
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Author Expertise and Experience
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
