Georgia Grand Jury could decide on new criminal charges for Donald Trump

A grand jury being seated Tuesday in Atlanta will likely consider whether criminal charges are appropriate for former President Donald Trump or his Republican allies for their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

At least 16 grand jurors must participate in the voting, and an indictment requires 12 of them to vote in favor of charges.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating since shortly after Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early 2021 and suggested the state’s top elections official could help him “find 11,780 votes,” just enough needed to beat Democrat Joe Biden.

The 2 1/2-year investigation expanded to include an examination of a slate of Republican fake electors, phone calls by Trump and others to Georgia officials in the weeks after the 2020 election and unfounded allegations of widespread election fraud made to state lawmakers.

Willis, a Democrat, is expected to present her case before one of two new grand juries being seated Tuesday. She has previously suggested that any indictments would likely come in August.

Willis sent letters last summer warning certain people — including the state’s fake electors and former New York mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani — that they could face charges in the case. Some of the fake electors have since reached immunity deals with Willis’ team. While she hasn’t said one way or the other whether she would seek charges against Trump, Willis has repeatedly said no one is above the law.

Willis is a fan of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and there have been hints she’ll use it in this case. The RICO Act allows prosecutors to bring charges against multiple people that they believe committed separate crimes while working toward a common goal.