Special Grand Jury Report Released in Georgia Trump Case – NBC 6 South Florida
According to a published report, a special jury supporting an election subversion investigation in Georgia that ultimately indicted Donald Trump and 18 others had recommended indicting even more people, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, two former Georgia senators and Michael Flynn Friday.
parts of the report had been released in February, but a judge had delayed releasing recommendations for specific charges against certain people until after the arraignment last month. While most of the intrigue in the inner workings of the case has subsided with the filing of the indictment, it is notable that the special grand jury recommended 21 additional people who were not actually indicted. They include Graham of South Carolina, former U.S. Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia, and former national security adviser Flynn. Boris Epshteyn, an adviser to Trump, and Cleta Mitchell, his campaign lawyer, were also on the list recommended for indictment.
Graham, Loeffler, Perdue and Cleta Mitchell, a conservative activist the panel recommended for impeachment, did not immediately respond to NBC News messages seeking comment Friday. Epshteyn declined to comment.
The panel heard from about 75 witnesses for seven months before finalizing a report in December with recommendations for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on allegations related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis had said she needed the panel’s subpoena power to compel the testimony of witnesses who otherwise might not have been willing to appear.
Robert McBurney, Fulton County Superior Court Judge ordered the partial release of the report in February, but declined to immediately release the panel’s recommendations on who should and should not be prosecuted. The judge said at the time that he wanted to protect people’s due process rights.
McBurney said in a new order filed Aug. 28 that due process concerns were moot because a regular grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others under the state’s anti-crime law. All have pleaded not guilty.
It is known that many of the defendants – including former New York mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows – testified before the special grand jury. Trump himself was never summoned and did not appear before the committee.
Parts of the report previously released in February included its introduction and conclusion, as well as a section in which jurors expressed concerns that one or more witnesses may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to file perjury charges. The chairman of the panel said in press interviews that the special jury had recommended that numerous people be indicted.
There were a total of 19 defendants, including Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
