Court OKs Special Grand Jury For Trump

WASHINGTON - Jan. 24, 2022 - PRLog -- Court OKs Special Grand Jury For Trump
Special Grand Jury to Subpoenas People and Documents

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 24, 2022) -  Fulton County Superior Court judges have just granted the request of District Attorney Fani Willis to establish a special grand jury to investigate possible crimes by former president Donald Trump and his associates.  This special grant jury will have the authority to issue subpoenas to obtain documents including emails, and to compel those involved to testify under oath, notes public interest law professor John Banzhaf.

It will begin its operations on May 2nd, and its period of operations may "not to exceed 12 months," Christopher Brasher, chief judge of Fulton County Superior Court, wrote in an order.  The order provides that "The special purpose grand jury shall be authorized to investigate any and all facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to alleged violations of the laws of the State of Georgia, as set forth in the request of the District Attorney referenced herein above."

Trump in finally going to be investigated by a new special grand jury which can issue subpoena to force him and other witnesses to testify under oath, and to disclose previously secret documents, says Banzhaf, whose formal complaint triggered the Georgia criminal investigation.

Willis had asked Judge Christopher Brasher to impanel the new judicial body, confirming that her office "has received information indicating a reasonable probability that the State of Georgia's administration of elections in 2020, including the State's election of the President of the United States, was subject to possible criminal disruptions," and that Raffensperger "has indicated that he will not participate in an interview or otherwise offer evidence until he is presented with a subpoena by my office."

As the New York Times reported, this investigation "is seen by legal experts as potentially perilous for the former president," and a 114-page Brookings Institution detailed analysis by several leading legal experts concluded that Trump's post election conduct in Georgia put him "at substantial risk of possible state charges."

One reason for the peril is that Willis is largely free from possible pressure or other interference from people within the federal government; including President Biden who may not want to be suspected of orchestrating a criminal prosecution of his predecessor and potential 2024 rival, or Trump allies in Congress and elsewhere in the government.

Willis, a Democrat, was elected by residents in an overwhelming Democratic district, and they will therefore probably make up a majority of the members of the new special grand jury, as well as any jury subsequently impaneled to try criminal charges against Trump.

jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com   @profbanzhaf