| Advertisement |
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Judges on Monday granted the Atlanta area district attorney investigating former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results the ability to form a special grand jury. Chief Judge Cristopher Brasher wrote that the majority of judges on Fulton County's Superior Court bench approved District Attorney Fani Willis' request last week to convene a grand jury in the investigation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Advertisement
The grand jury will be formed on May 2 and can remain in place for a period "not to exceed 12 months" Brasher added.
"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," the order issued Monday stated.
Willis has been investigating whether Trump broke Georgia's election laws, specifically citing audio of a phone call in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" to overturn the state's certified election results.
Trump defended the call last week in a statement in which he repeated false claims of widespread voter fraud during the 2020 elections.
"I didn't say anything wrong in the call," he said.
In her letter to the court last week, Willis said "a significant number of witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony."
She said the grand jury would not have the power to return an indictment, but "may make recommendations concerning criminal prosecutions as it shall see fit."
