Atlanta. Georgia prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to rig the outcome of the 2020 election in the southern state will begin presenting evidence to a grand jury on Monday, ahead of a possible indictment.
Two of the witnesses, the former Georgia state lieutenant governor and a local journalist, said Saturday they received a call from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s office to testify before a grand jury Tuesday.
The prosecutor created this panel of citizens with investigative powers to determine if there was enough evidence to charge Trump.
In July the prosecutor hinted that she could request an indictment before the end of August, in particular for electoral fraud and interference.
Trump reacted on Monday on his Truth Social platform against former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, saying he “shouldn’t” testify in the case.
And he attacked the prosecutor again, whom he accused of “just wanting to ‘get Trump’.” He also reiterated, without evidence, that he was the victim of a fraud in Georgia in 2020 for the benefit of his rival Joe Biden.
The investigation began as a result of a January 2021 phone call – the recording of which has been made public – in which Trump asked a local official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” the approximately 12,000 ballots in his name that were missing to win all 16 Georgia electors.
In the United States, citizens do not directly elect the president, but they designate large voters from each state, who will be the ones who vote for one candidate or another.
According to court documents, investigators report “a coordinated, multi-state plan carried out by the Trump campaign” to influence the election results.
The grand jury has recommended that a dozen people be indicted, but has not specified who.
To prevent possible pressure or violence, security barriers were set up in front of the courthouse in downtown Atlanta where the investigation is taking place.
Trump has been indicted for three other cases: for alleged attempted conspiracy to alter the result of the 2020 elections (in a case in Washington), for negligence in the management of confidential documents (in a Florida court) and for alleged payments hidden from a former porn actress to buy her silence (in a New York court).
