by Dave Williams | Sep 8, 2023 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – If the special grand jury Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis assembled to investigate illegal interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election had gotten its way, the case would have cast an even broader net than last month’s indictment.
The special grand jury recommended 39 indictments rather than the 19 defendants – including former President Donald Trump – now facing state racketeering charges, according to the special grand jury’s final report, most of which was under seal for months before being released Friday.
Targets of the investigation who ended up avoiding indictment by a separate grand jury included some prominent names: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; former Georgia Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler; Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, and Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
Willis was not allowed to investigate Jones following a court ruling that found a conflict of interest. The district attorney, a Democrat, hosted a fundraising event last year for Charlie Bailey, Jones’ Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney released portions of the special grand jury’s report in February. However, all the released portions indicated was that the panel had recommended indicting more than one suspect, leaving out names.
The version of the report released in February also concluded that no widespread fraud occurred in connection with the election.
McBurney released the rest of the 26-page report on Friday.
The special grand jury recommended that Graham, Perdue, Loeffler, Flynn, and Jones be charged in connection with efforts to overrun the election results in multiple states, including Georgia. The panel also cited Perdue in connection with communications with multiple Georgia officials between the November 2020 election and January 2021.
The report also recommended indicting Jones in connection with a December 2020 meeting of “fake” electors at the Georgia Capitol to certify Trump the winner of Georgia’s 16 electoral votes rather than Democrat Joe Biden, who had carried the state in the November election.
Willis empaneled the special grand jury in May of last year. The panel completed its work late in the year after hearing from 75 witnesses.
