Former President Donald Trump is facing the possibility of a fourth indictment this year — this time in Georgia.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia for two years.
She was only on the job for two days when Trump made that infamous call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
"So look, all I want to do is this — I want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state," Trump told Raffensperger.
Once that recorded call was made public, Willis decided to launch the historic investigation.
On Jan. 20, 2022, Willis requested a special grand jury be created to help with her investigation. By May, 26 people were seated on the panel. Over the next six months, they heard testimony from 75 witnesses, including Raffensperger, Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The panel finished its work in January 2023 and turned in a final report to Judge Robert McBurney. While most of the report remains sealed, a portion of it was made public in February. It revealed the panel believed some of the witnesses lied on the stand.
In an unusual move, the grand jury forewoman conducted a high-profile media tour, alluding to what they decided.
"We definitely heard a lot about former President Trump and we definitely discussed him a lot in the room. And I'll say when this list comes out, there are no major plot twists waiting for you, especially if they've been following the investigation. I can't see it being a shocker," Emily Kohrs said.
In the spring, Willis started preparing for a decision on criminal indictments. She sent a letter to the county sheriff asking for extra security between July 11 and Sept. 1. In May, Willis stated in a letter that most of her staff would be working remotely during the first three weeks of August. In July, two new grand juries were empaneled, one of which heard the evidence in the case and would make recommendations about who should be indicted.
As the investigation has continued, Trump has publicly lashed out at Willis. He has also continued to contend that his phone call with Raffensperger was "perfect."
Trump has been indicted in three other cases this year. One case out of New York involves hush-money payments to conceal potentially damaging personal information ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The other cases involve federal charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents and conspiracy related to Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Jay Strubberg
