A decision announced in court Tuesday by Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is certain to alarm disgraced former president Donald Trump and his attorneys.
According to CNN, Willis said that a special grand jury impaneled to investigate Trump and some of his allies in their attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State has recommended indictments for “multiple” defendants and the release those names and the charges against them is “imminent.”
“Decisions are imminent,” Willis told Judge Robert McBurney. We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly, and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly it’s not appropriate at this time to have this report released.”
Donald Wakeford, Fulton County’s chief senior assistant district attorney, echoed Willis’ remarks:
“We think immediately releasing before the district attorney has even had an opportunity to address publicly whether there will be charges or not – because there has not been a meaningful enough amount of time to assess it – is dangerous. It’s dangerous to the people who may or may not be named in the report for various reasons. It’s also a disservice to the witnesses who came to the grand jury and spoke the truth to the grand jury.”
The judge agreed, promising there would be “no rash decisions.”
“No one’s going to wake up with the court having disclosed the report on the front page of a newspaper.”
Why is this such bad news for Trump and others, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who also allegedly tried to get Georgia election officials to “find” additional votes for the failed ex-president? Simple: If no criminal charges were planned, the report could be made public without any delay.
What happens next? Willis will have to decide if she wants to pursue charges against those identified by the grand jury. And that’s where things could get dicey for Trump, CNN notes.
Willis has previously said she could pursue Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges in this case, which would allow prosecutors to bring charges against multiple defendants and make the case that Trump and his allies were part of a criminal enterprise.
Racketeering charges also carry enhanced penalties that could send those charged — if convicted — to decades in a Georgia prison.
Things are about to get very interesting who played a part in trying to overturn the will of the voters, and every eye is now on the state of Georgia.
