A special grand jury investigating attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to disavow his election defeat in Georgia has found that some witnesses gave false testimony and recommended that prosecutors press charges.
However, all recommendations regarding possible criminal charges against specific individuals remain classified at this time.
On Thursday, the introduction and conclusion of the grand jury report were released.
While the report is silent on key details, including who the jury believe committed perjury and whether further charges should be brought, it is the first time that recommendations from the Grand Jury members regarding the charges criminal charges related to the case are made public.
Despite Trump’s claims that there was widespread fraud in the election, the grand jury “concluded by unanimous vote that there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia that could have resulted in the cancellation of the election”.
The partial release decision was made Monday by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who oversaw the special grand jury. At last month’s hearing, prosecutors urged him not to release the report until they decide whether to press charges, while a coalition of media organizations insisted the full report be published immediately.
McBurney wrote in his decision that it was not appropriate to release the full report now because it was important to protect the procedural rights of those the grand jury had recommended.
Over the course of about seven months, jurors heard from 75 witnesses, including Trump allies including former New York City mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The commission also heard from senior Georgian officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp.
