February 10, 2021: Fulton County District Attorney Willis Opened A Criminal Investigation Into Efforts To Overturn The Results Of The 2020 Presidential Election In Georgia. According to the New York Times, “Prosecutors in Georgia have started a criminal investigation into former President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to overturn Georgia’s election results, including a phone call he made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Mr. Trump pressured him to ‘find’ enough votes to help him reverse his loss. On Wednesday, Fani T. Willis, the recently elected Democratic prosecutor in Fulton County, sent a letter to numerous officials in state government, including Mr. Raffensperger, requesting that they preserve documents related to ‘an investigation into attempts to influence’ the state’s 2020 presidential election. Of particular note in Ms. Willis’s letter was the wider scope of the investigation. Potential violations of state law include ‘the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration,’ the letter states.” [New York Times, 2/10/21]
The Resignation Of Federal Prosecutor Pak, Who Left Office After Trump Complained He Was Not Doing Enough To Overturn The Election, Would Also Be Examined. According to the New York Times, “The investigation will also look into the events surrounding the abrupt resignation in January of Atlanta’s federal prosecutor, Byung J. Pak, after Mr. Trump complained to Justice Department officials that Mr. Pak was not pursuing his claims of election fraud, the official said.” [New York Times, 2/10/21]
Willis’ Letter Said Subpoenas Would Be Issued “As Necessary” Once A Grand Jury Convened. According to the New York Times, “In the letter, Ms. Willis said that her office would request subpoenas ‘as necessary’ when the next Fulton County grand jury convenes in March. In addition to Mr. Raffensperger, the letter was sent to Mr. Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Mr. Carr, all of whom are Republicans.” [New York Times, 2/10/21]
March 7, 2021: The Fulton County District Attorney Hired Floyd To Serve As Special Assistant District Attorney. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “An Atlanta civil litigator widely considered to be the state’s leading authority on racketeering and conspiracy law has joined the Fulton County district attorney’s office in an advisory capacity. John Floyd, who played a pivotal role in two of the biggest local trials of the past 20 years, will serve as a special assistant district attorney, said Jeff DiSantis, spokesman for Fulton DA Fani Willis, said Saturday.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/7/21]
April 30, 2021: Kemp Appointed A Special Counsel To Represent The Secretary Of State’s Office After Georgia Attorney General Carr Refused. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Gov. Brian Kemp appointed a special counsel this week to represent the secretary of state as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis continues her criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump and his dealings with Georgia officials following the 2020 elections. The Republican governor quietly signed an executive order on Wednesday tapping Jack Sharman, a partner at the Birmingham, Alabama-based law firm Lightfoot, Franklin & White. The document provided few other details but noted that Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr declined to represent the secretary of state in the matter. A Carr spokeswoman said that while the AG typically represents the secretary’s office as a whole, it doesn’t counsel individual state staffers who are involved in criminal proceedings.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/20/21]
January 20, 2022: Willis Requested A Special Grand Jury For Investigation So They Could Subpoena Witnesses. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is requesting a special grand jury to aid in her investigation of former President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. In a Thursday letter to Christopher S. Brasher, chief judge of Fulton County’s Superior Court, Willis said the move was needed because a ‘significant number of witnesses and prospective witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony.’ She cited comments Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger made during an October 2021 interview with NBC News, in which he said ‘if (Willis) wants to interview me, there’s a process for that.’ So-called special purpose grand juries are rarely used in Georgia. But they could be a valuable tool for Willis as she takes the extraordinary step of investigating the conduct of a president while he was in office, legal experts say.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/20/22]
A Special Grand Jury Can Issue Subpoena Witnesses, Compel Document Production, And Enter Certain Offices, But Cannot Indict. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Special grand juries, which typically have 16 to 23 members, can’t issue indictments. But they can subpoena witnesses, compel the production of documents and information, and enter into certain offices for the purposes of an investigation.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/20/22]
January 24, 2022: Willis’ Request For A Special Grand Jury Was Approved By A Majority Of Fulton County Judges. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The judges on Fulton County’s Superior Court bench on Monday cleared the way for a special grand jury to be used for District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation of former President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. Chief Judge Christopher S. Brasher wrote that a majority of the judges had agreed to the request issued by Willis’ office late last week.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/24/22]
April 1, 2022: Willis Told Georgia’s Top Elected Officials To Preserve Evidence. According to WAGA, “The Fulton County District Attorney is closer to seeking subpoenas in what is expected to be a far-ranging investigation of an attempt by former President Donald Trump and others to overthrow the presidential 2020 election. This is according to sources familiar with the investigation. District Attorney Fani Willis has already asked top Georgia elected officials to preserve any evidence they may have.” [WAGA, 4/1/22]
Willis Sent Letter To The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, And Secretary Of State Encouraging Them To Hold On To Relevant Records. According to WAGA, “Willis sent letters, obtained by the I-Team, to the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking them all to preserve any key evidence for possible prosecution. Possible crimes ranged from ‘the solicitation of election fraud’ to ‘conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office.’” [WAGA, 4/1/22]
May 2, 2022: The 26-Member Special Grand Jury Was Selected. According to CNN, “A special grand jury has been selected to hear evidence in an investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies committed any crimes in their efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat, has been investigating whether Trump or his allies committed any crimes in their efforts to pressure state officials to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia in 2020. Some 26 jurors were selected, including three alternates. The rest of the 200-person pool was dismissed.” [CNN, 5/2/22]
May 2022: The Special Grand Jury Issued The First Round Of Subpoenas To Georgia Election Officials, Including Raffensperger. According to WXIA, “Willis has run into a similar issue with certain witnesses telling her office that they would only testify if sent a subpoena. Subpoenas for the case 11Alive received through an open records request show from the Georgia Secretary of State's Office that several staff members have been requested to testify before the jury. The list includes Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling, General Counsel Ryan Germany, former Head of Elections Division Chris Harvey, former Chief Investigator Frances Watson, and former executive assistant Victoria Thompson.” [WXIA, 5/31/22]
July 5, 2022: The Special Grand Jury Subpoenaed Several Top Trump Allies, Including Giuliani, Graham, Eastman, Chesebro, Ellis, And Deason. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The Fulton County special grand jury investigating potential criminal interference in Georgia’s 2020 elections has subpoenaed key members of former President Donald Trump’s legal team, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, according to copies obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In addition to Giuliani, those being summoned include John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis, all of whom advised the Trump campaign on strategies for overturning Democrat Joe Biden’s wins in Georgia and other swing states. The grand jury also subpoenaed U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s top allies, along with attorney and podcast host Jacki Pick Deason. The subpoenas were filed July 5 and signed by Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the special grand jury. They noted that all seven people were ‘a necessary and material witness’ to the investigation.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/5/22]
October 4, 2022: It Was Revealed That The Fulton County District Attorney Requested Search Warrants, However It Was Unclear Who Was The Target Of Such Warrants And Whether They Had Been Approved By A Judge Yet. According to the Associated Press, “The Georgia prosecutor investigating whether former President Donald Trump and his allies broke the law trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state is seeking search warrants in the case, a sign that the wide-ranging probe has entered a new phase. The revelation came Monday in a court order filed by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury seated to help the investigation. In an order sealing any search warrants and related documents from being made public, McBurney wrote that District Attorney Fani Willis' office is ‘now seeking to obtain and execute a series of search warrants, the affidavits for which are predicated on sensitive information acquired during the investigation.’ Disclosure of the information could compromise the investigation, McBurney wrote, ‘by, among other things, causing flight from prosecution, destruction of or tampering with evidence, and intimidation of potential witnesses.’ It could also result in risks to the ‘safety and well-being’ of people involved in the investigation, he wrote. It wasn’t immediately clear who the targets of the search warrants are or whether any search warrants had yet to be approved by a judge. To obtain a search warrant, prosecutors must convince a judge they have probable cause that a crime occurred at the location where authorities want to search.” [Associated Press, 10/4/22]
After Halting Efforts Around The Midterm Elections, Sources Said Willis May Issue Indictments As Early As This December. According to CNN, “The Georgia prosecutor leading an investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election is aiming to quickly wrap up the grand jury’s work after the midterm elections and could begin issuing indictments as early as December, sources familiar with the situation tell CNN. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said that her investigation into attempts to subvert the 2020 election will go quiet beginning later this week to avoid any appearance of influencing the upcoming election. But while her investigation will not make any overt moves in the next few weeks, her team is gearing up for a flurry of activity after Election Day.” [CNN, 10/6/22]
Fulton County District Attorney Willis Indicated That The Trump-Raffensperger Phone Call, The Graham-Raffensperger Phone Call, The Resignation Of U.S. Attorney Pak, And Claims By Giuliani Before The Georgia Legislature Would Be Investigated. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will wait until after the May 24 primaries to call in witnesses to testify about whether former President Donald Trump tried to illegally overturn election results in Georgia in 2020. […] Several of the people Willis is likely to seek an interview with — most notably Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom Trump called on Jan. 2, 2021, requesting that he ‘find’ enough votes to reverse his Georgia defeat — are on the primary ballot this spring. […] In addition to the Trump-Raffensperger call, Willis has indicated that her team is also examining the abrupt resignation of former Atlanta-based U.S. Attorney BJay Pak; a November 2020 call U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., placed to Raffensperger; and false claims made by Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani during a hearing before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/19/22]
Willis Notified Georgia’s Fake Electors, Who Submitted Fake Documents Indicating That Trump Had Won The State, That They Were A Subject Of The Investigation. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, “The 16 Republicans who submitted false documents claiming to be official Georgia electors and that Donald Trump won the state's election have been notified they could be prosecuted for their actions. In a court filing Tuesday, 11 of the fake GOP electors, including party chairman David Shafer, filed a motion seeking to halt future testimony, have the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from prosecuting them and that any report be held under embargo or seal until after the midterm elections. The Republicans write in their motion that originally the electors were considered witnesses in the ongoing probe of potential crimes committed in the failed effort to overturn the 2020 election, but on June 28 prosecutors notified them that ‘as our investigation has matured and new evidence has come to light’ that they were now targets of the election probe.” [Georgia Public Broadcasting, 7/19/22]
Willis: There Have Been Credible Allegations Of Serious Crimes That Could Result In Prison Sentences. According to the Washington Post, “The prosecutor investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia said this week that her team has heard credible allegations that serious crimes have been committed and that she believes some individuals may see jail time. ‘The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences,’ Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis told The Washington Post.” [Washington Post, 9/15/22]
December 8, 2020: Trump Called Georgia Attorney General Carr To Encouraging Him To Not Rally Opposition To Lawsuit Attempting To Throw Out Georgia’s Election Results. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “President Donald Trump warned Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr not to rally other Republican officials against a long-shot Texas lawsuit seeking to toss out the state’s election results, according to several people with direct knowledge of the conversation. The roughly 15-minute phone call late Tuesday came shortly before U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue issued a joint statement saying they ‘fully support’ the improbable lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject election results in Georgia and three other battleground states that Trump lost.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/9/20]
Carr Reportedly Told Trump He Was Not Urging Other State Attorneys General To Oppose The Lawsuit. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “A person on the call between Trump and Carr described it as cordial. Trump told Carr that he’s ‘heard great things’ about him but that he’s picked up word that Carr was calling other attorneys general and urging them to stand against the Texas challenge. Carr told him that wasn’t true.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/9/20]
January 2, 2021: Trump Asked Georgia Secretary Of State Raffensperger To “Find 11,780 Votes” To Overturn The Election Result In Georgia. According to the New York Times, “President Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to ‘find’ him enough votes to overturn the presidential election and vaguely threatened him with ‘a criminal offense’ during an hourlong telephone call on Saturday, according to an audio recording of the conversation. Mr. Trump, who has spent almost nine weeks making false conspiracy claims about his loss to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., told Brad Raffensperger, the state’s top elections official, that he should recalculate the vote count so Mr. Trump, not Mr. Biden, would end up winning the state’s 16 electoral votes. ‘I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,’ Mr. Trump said during the conversation, according to a recording first obtained by The New York Times, which published it online Sunday.” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
Trump Threatened That Raffensperger Could Be Criminally Charged For Not Doing His Bidding. According to the New York Times, “The president, who will be in charge of the Justice Department for the 17 days left in his administration, hinted that Mr. Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the chief lawyer for secretary of state’s office, could be prosecuted criminally if they did not do his bidding. ‘You know what they did and you’re not reporting it,’ the president said during the call. ‘You know, that’s a criminal — that’s a criminal offense. And you know, you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. That’s a big risk.’” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
Trump Wanted Raffensperger To “Come To A Resolution” Before The Senate Runoffs And Blamed Both Raffensperger And Governor -Kemp For Low Republican Turnout. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump said he hoped Mr. Raffensperger’s office could address his claimed discrepancies before Tuesday’s Senate runoff election in Georgia, one that will decide the balance of power in the Senate. The president is slated to campaign on Monday night in Georgia for the two Republican incumbents, Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. ‘I think we should come to a resolution of this before the election,’ Mr. Trump said. Otherwise, he said, ‘you’re going to have people just not voting.’ ‘They don’t want to vote,’ he said. ‘They hate the state. They hate the governor and they hate the secretary of state.’ He added: ‘The people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there’s nothing wrong with saying that, you know, um, that you’ve recalculated.’” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
Raffensperger Refused To Give In To Trump’s Demands And Defended Georgia’s Election Results. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Raffensperger politely but firmly rejected the president’s entreaties, standing by the election results in his state and repeatedly insisting that Mr. Trump and his allies had been given false information about voter fraud. ‘Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong,’ he said.” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
It Was The 19th Call From The White House To The Office Of The Georgia Secretary Of State Since The Election, But The First Time Raffensperger Answered. According to the New York Times, “The call from the White House to Mr. Raffensperger’s office came on Saturday afternoon at 2:41, after 18 other calls by the White House switchboard to the office during the past two months, according to a person familiar with the conversation. Saturday’s call was the first time Mr. Raffensperger had talked with Mr. Trump directly despite the president’s repeated tweets disparaging him.” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
Raffensperger’s Office Recorded The Call And Released It After Trump Publically Attacked Him. According to the New York Times, “Officials in the secretary of state’s office recorded Saturday’s call, and Mr. Raffensperger told his advisers that he did not want to release a transcript or a recording unless the president attacked state officials or misrepresented what had been discussed, according to a person familiar with his direction. As expected, that attack came in a tweet on Sunday morning, in which Mr. Trump claimed that Mr. Raffensperger ‘was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ‘ballots under table’ scam, ballot destruction, out of state ‘voters’, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!’” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
Trump, White House Chief Of Staff Meadows, And Trump Lawyers Mitchell And Hilbert Were On The Call. According to the New York Times, “In addition to Mr. Trump and Mr. Raffensperger, others on the call from the Georgia secretary of state’s office included Mr. Germany and Jordan Fuchs, Mr. Raffensperger’s deputy. On the line as well were Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, and Cleta Mitchell and Kurt Hilbert, lawyers working for Mr. Trump.” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
On The Call, Meadows And Mitchell Pressed Raffensperger To Reveal Confidential Data. According to the New York Times, “Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Meadows repeatedly sought to challenge the voting in Georgia and pressed Mr. Raffensperger to reveal confidential voter data in an effort to back up their claims. They were rebuffed by Georgia’s election officials. Ms. Mitchell, a partner at the firm Foley & Lardner, was on the call with Mr. Trump despite the fact that nearly all lawyers with top-tier firms have refused to represent the president in his attempts to overturn the election.” [New York Times, 1/3/21]
Raffensperger And Carr Were Subpoenaed By The Special Grand Jury. According to the Associated Press, “Georgia’s secretary of state is expected to appear next week before a special grand jury in an investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to meddle in the 2020 election in the state. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has been summoned to appear before the special grand jury Thursday, according to a subpoena obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. Five other people in his office have received subpoenas to appear in early June and the office has received a subpoena for documents. State Attorney General Chris Carr has received a subpoena to appear June 21.” [Associated Press, 5/27/22]
June 21, 2022: Carr Testified Before Grand Jury. According to WAGA, “Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr testified on Tuesday before the Fulton County Grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and others. Carr was the latest witness subpoenaed to testify in the weeks long grand jury investigation. FOX 5 senior I-Team reporter Dale Russell said Carr was expected to testify about a post-election phone call he received from then-President Donald Trump. Republican Attorney General Chris Carr is expected to testify about a 15-minute phone call then-President Donald Trump made to him in December 2020.” [WAGA, 6/21/22]
July 5, 2022: The Special Grand Jury Sought Mitchell’s Testimony Over Her Involvement On The Phone Call Between Trump And Raffensperger. According to the Washington Post, “The subpoenas, which were approved July 5 by the judge presiding over the grand jury, summon senior members of Trump’s legal team, including Giuliani, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis and Cleta Mitchell, all of whom are believed to have knowledge of Trump’s attempts to tamper with the election process in battleground states such as Georgia, according to the documents. […] Mitchell’s testimony is being sought for her alleged role in the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Trump had with Raffensperger, according to the filings. Mitchell ‘made allegations of widespread voter fraud in the November 2020 election’ and called on ‘Raffensperger to take action in his official capacity to investigate unfounded claims of fraud,’ a filing reads.” [Washington Post, 7/5/22]
The Special Grand Jury Also Received Testimony From Former White House Counsel Cipollone And Former Sen. Loeffler. According to CNN, “Prosecutors in Georgia have secured grand jury testimony from two prominent witnesses – former US Sen. Kelly Loeffler and former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone – in their investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Their grand jury appearances in recent months, which have not been previously reported, highlight the wide-ranging investigation underway as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis probes efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to try to keep him in power. Cipollone was the top White House lawyer at the end of the Trump administration and attended some of the meetings where Trump and his allies discussed ways to subvert the election results. He was among the former President’s advisers who pushed back along with the Justice Department, which found no evidence to support the claims of widespread fraud. Cipollone has provided testimony to the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, as well as to a federal grand jury in the Justice Department’s criminal investigation, where he invoked Trump’s privilege claims to decline to answer some questions. He declined to comment on questions about the grand jury. The revelation that Loeffler testified before the grand jury comes as hundreds of Loeffler’s text messages have surfaced, revealing new details about the Georgia Republican’s correspondence about efforts to challenge the election in the months leading up to and immediately following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.” [CNN, 10/22/22]
November 13, 2020: South Carolina Sen. Graham Called Raffensperger To Question The Election Results In Georgia, Including The Possibility Of Throwing Out Legally Cast Ballots. According to the Washington Post, “In the interview, Raffensperger also said he spoke on Friday to Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who has echoed Trump’s unfounded claims about voting irregularities. In their conversation, Graham questioned Raffensperger about the state’s signature-matching law and whether political bias could have prompted poll workers to accept ballots with nonmatching signatures, according to Raffensperger. Graham also asked whether Raffensperger had the power to toss all mail ballots in counties found to have higher rates of nonmatching signatures, Raffensperger said. Raffensperger said he was stunned that Graham appeared to suggest that he find a way to toss legally cast ballots. Absent court intervention, Raffensperger doesn’t have the power to do what Graham suggested because counties administer elections in Georgia. ‘It sure looked like he was wanting to go down that road,” Raffensperger said.” [Washington Post, 11/16/20]
July 5, 2022: The Special Grand Jury Subpoenaed Graham. According to the Washington Post, “As part of an ongoing investigation into Donald Trump’s potential criminal interference in the 2020 presidential election, several of the former president’s closest advisers — including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani — are being subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in Georgia’s Fulton County, according to court filings obtained by The Washington Post.” [Washington Post, 7/5/22]
August 15, 2022: A District Court Judge Rejected Graham’s Attempt To Squash Subpoena. According to Politico, “A federal judge on Monday turned down Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bid to throw out a subpoena compelling him to testify before the Atlanta-area grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election. ‘[T]he Court finds that the District Attorney has shown extraordinary circumstances and a special need for Senator Graham’s testimony on issues relating to alleged attempts to influence or disrupt the lawful administration of Georgia’s 2022 elections,’ U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May wrote in a 22-page opinion rejecting Graham’s effort and sending the matter back to state courts for further proceedings.” [Politico, 8/15/22]
August 21, 2022: A Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Blocked The Subpoena And Asked The Lower Court To Examine Legal Issues Further. According to Politico, “A federal appeals court gave Sen. Lindsey Graham a temporary win early Sunday, ruling that he doesn’t have to comply for now with a subpoena from an Atlanta grand jury demanding that he testify Tuesday about his role in an effort to pressure Georgia officials to change the results of the 2020 presidential election. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the subpoena at Graham’s request Sunday, after a federal district court judge in Atlanta turned down the South Carolina Republican’s bid to avoid testifying on the grounds that the local grand jury is intruding on legal protections he enjoys as a federal lawmaker. The appeals court said in a two-page order that Graham’s attorneys and prosecutors for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis needed to flesh out arguments about whether Graham is entitled to have the federal courts place legal guardrails on the questioning Graham could face. The 11th Circuit panel’s order said that those arguments should be presented first to U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May, who issued a ruling last week rejecting the arguments Graham’s team raised under the Constitution’s speech or debate clause — which immunizes lawmakers from most legal consequences for actions relating to their lawmaking responsibilities.” [Politico, 8/21/22]
September 1, 2022: A District Judge, Once Again, Rejected Graham’s Arguments. According to Politico, “A federal judge has for the second time rejected Sen. Lindsey Graham’s effort to block a grand jury subpoena issued by the Atlanta-area district attorney investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies’ effort to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. In a 23-page order, U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May ruled that the South Carolina Republican’s claim to be immune from such questioning — thanks to the protections of the so-called speech or debate clause of the Constitution — is not as sweeping as Graham claimed it to be.” [Politico, 9/1/22]
October 20, 2022: A Federal Appeals Court Said Graham Must Testify. According to the Associated Press, “U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham must testify before a special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, a federal appeals court said Thursday. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paves the way for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to bring Graham in for questioning.” [Associated Press, 10/20/22]
October 24, 2022: Supreme Court Justice Thomas Issued A Temporary Stay Of The Ruling Requiring Graham To Testify. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily blocked a Georgia grand jury from compelling Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in its probe of efforts to subvert President Biden’s 2020 election victory in the state, while the Supreme Court considers the South Carolina lawmaker’s claim that he has congressional immunity from the investigation.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/24/22]
October 27, 2022: Willis Asked The Supreme Court To Lift The Stay. According to NBC News, “A Georgia prosecutor on Thursday urged the Supreme Court not to block a requirement that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., testify in an investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to interfere in the 2020 election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in court papers that Graham had failed to persuasively argue that limited questioning by a grand jury would violate the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which protects lawmakers from investigations over comments they make as part of their official duties.” [NBC News, 10/27/22]
November 1, 2022: Supreme Court Rejected Graham’s Request, Compelling Him To Comply With Subpoena. According to the New York Times, “The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a Georgia grand jury subpoena seeking testimony from Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, about his activities in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. The court’s order was a paragraph long and did not note any dissents. It said that Mr. Graham had been afforded substantial protections by lower courts, which had ruled that he did not have to testify on subjects related to his official duties. ‘The lower courts assumed that the informal investigative fact-finding that Senator Graham assertedly engaged in constitutes legislative activity protected by the speech or debate clause’ of the Constitution, the order said, ‘and they held that Senator Graham may not be questioned about such activities.’ But the Supreme Court’s order refused to stay rulings by lower courts that permitted questioning on other topics, and it noted that Mr. Graham remained free to object to questions that implicated his legislative activities.” [New York Times, 11/1/22]
Republican Electors In Georgia Cast Fake Electoral College Ballots For Trump. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “As Georgia’s 16 presidential electors formally voted for Democrat Joe Biden in December 2020, a group of Republican officials and activists claiming to be the state’s electors cast their votes for Trump in a sham ceremony at the state Capitol.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/27/22]
The Alternative Republican Electors Included State Party Chair Shafer And State Sen. Jones. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The alternative slate, which met behind closed doors in a second-floor state Capitol conference room while Democrats formally cast their ballots in the state Senate chambers, were not a fringe group. Among the members are state Republican Party Chairman David Shafer and state Sen. Burt Jones, now a leading candidate for lieutenant governor. Several well-known activists and party officials also were involved.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/27/22]
A Trump Campaign Staffer Encouraged The Fake Electors In Georgia To Keep Plan To Cast Electoral Ballots Secret. According to the Washington Post, “A staffer for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign instructed Republicans planning to cast electoral college votes for Trump in Georgia despite Joe Biden’s victory to operate in ‘complete secrecy,’ an email obtained by The Washington Post shows. ‘I must ask for your complete discretion in this process,’ wrote Robert Sinners, the campaign’s election operations director for Georgia, the day before the 16 Republicans gathered at the Georgia Capitol to sign certificates declaring themselves duly elected. ‘Your duties are imperative to ensure the end result — a win in Georgia for President Trump — but will be hampered unless we have complete secrecy and discretion.’” [Washington Post, 6/6/22]
June 1, 2022: At Least 11 Of The 16 Fake Electors Were Subpoenaed By The Special Grand Jury. According to the Washington Post, “Lawyers for 11 of those 16 Republicans, including Shafer, said in a new court filing that their clients received grand-jury subpoenas on June 1, then were notified in late June that they were considered targets of the investigation instead of witnesses. They argue in the filing that the subpoenas are ‘unreasonable and oppressive’ and the electors will invoke the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination after advice from legal counsel. They deemed the new designation ‘a publicity stunt.’” [Washington Post, 7/19/22]
June 22, 2022: Kemp’s Records Regarding The Fake Electors Were Also Subpoenaed by The Special Grand Jury. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The 23-member special grand jury also subpoenaed a bevy of evidence from Kemp’s office, which Wade said must be made available at least 72 hours before the governor’s scheduled testimony. Among the requested documents is anything that ‘represents, explains, and provides context’ about the Nov. 2020 elections and the 60 days after, the certification of Georgia’s presidential electors on Jan. 6 and rally held at the Capitol that day. Jurors are also seeking any documents that shed light on what then-President Trump and his associates were thinking and doing as they sought to reverse Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow win in Georgia, including telephone logs, emails, texts and other correspondence. ‘The attached subpoena has as its primary purpose the examination of the conduct of former President Donald Trump, and those working on his behalf,’ Wade wrote in the letter. ‘Also, the District Attorney’s primary interest is to discover what witnesses and documents are available that will explain what was being said and done regarding the 2020 presidential election and the efforts to replace the constitutionally elected electors.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/23/22]
July 5, 2022: The Special Grand Jury Sought Chesebro’s Testimony Over The Fake Electors Plan. According to the Washington Post, “The subpoenas, which were approved July 5 by the judge presiding over the grand jury, summon senior members of Trump’s legal team, including Giuliani, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis and Cleta Mitchell, all of whom are believed to have knowledge of Trump’s attempts to tamper with the election process in battleground states such as Georgia, according to the documents. […] The grand jury is pursuing Chesebro’s testimony about a plan ‘to cast purported electoral college votes in favor of former President Donald Trump, even though none of those 16 individuals had been ascertained as Georgia’s certified presidential electors by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp,’ according to the documents. Chesebro had contested in internal Trump campaign memos that 16 fake electors for the former president should convene at the Georgia Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, to falsely certify Trump as the election’s victor, according to documents reviewed by The Post.” [Washington Post, 7/5/22]
July 19, 2022: Prosecutors Informed The Fake Electors That They Are Targets Of The Investigation. According to toe Washington Post, “Georgia prosecutors investigating potential criminal interference in the 2020 presidential election by Donald Trump and his allies have notified several Republicans who were part of a fake electors scheme that they are ‘targets’ of the probe and could face charges, according to a court document filed Tuesday. The information in the filing provides the latest insight into the fast moving and expanding investigation that’s led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, who requested the convening of a special grand jury earlier this year.” [Washington Post, 7/19/22]
July 21, 2022: A Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ruled He Would Not Quash Any Of The Subpoenas For The Fake Electors. According to CNN, “An Atlanta-area judge said Thursday he will not quash subpoenas for 11 of the ‘fake electors' who participated in a plan to subvert the Electoral College and are now targets of an ongoing criminal investigation. Judge Robert McBurney of Fulton County Superior Court said he would let the parties work out a framework with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office regarding their appearance before the grand jury and potentially invoking their Fifth Amendment rights. ‘I will not be quashing any of the subpoenas,’ McBurney said during a motion hearing. ‘I’m going to let the parties develop the framework they want to use as we go forward,’ he continued, adding that ‘It may be that the witnesses have very brief appearances in front of the grand jury.’” [CNN, 7/21/22]
July 25, 2022: A Fulton County Judge Ruled That Willis Was Disqualified From Investigating One Of The Fake Elector. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “A Fulton County judge is disqualifying District Attorney Fani Willis and her office from questioning state Sen. Burt Jones as part of their investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies broke the law as they sought to overturn Georgia’s 2020 elections. In a surprise decision and a significant rebuke of the DA, Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney on Monday granted a motion from Jones, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, to replace Willis and the entire Fulton DA’s office in the examination of his specific role in the case.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/25/22]
The Ruling Meant That Jones Would Be Investigated By A Separate Set Of Prosecutors. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “That means another set of prosecutors will determine whether to subpoena the Jackson Republican, whether to categorize him as a target of the investigation or whether any charges should ultimately be brought against him. ‘An investigation of this significance, garnering the public attention it necessarily does and touching so many political nerves in our society, cannot be burdened by legitimate doubts about the District Attorney’s motives,’ McBurney wrote. ‘The District Attorney does not have to be apolitical, but her investigations do.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/25/22]
August 25, 2022: A Petition From The Special Grand Jury Seeking Meadow’s Testimony Highlighted His Rule In The Fake Electors Scheme. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “A Fulton County special grand jury investigating interference in Georgia’s 2020 elections is seeking the testimony of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell and others next month. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed petitions seeking their testimony in Fulton Superior Court on Thursday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has confirmed. […] The House Jan. 6 committee has also uncovered evidence that Meadows had a major role in helping coordinate the appointment of ‘alternate’ Trump electors in a half-dozen swing states, including Georgia. The fake electors, who cast sham ballots in a Dec. 14, 2020 ceremony in the Georgia statehouse, are a central interest of the special grand jury. The petition for Meadows also noted that he attended a Dec. 21, 2020, White House meeting with Trump, members of Congress and others to discuss allegations of voter fraud and the certification of electoral college votes from Georgia and other states. It said he also sent emails to top Justice Department officials in late 2020 ‘making various allegations of voter fraud in Georgia and elsewhere and requesting that the Department of Justice conduct investigations into these allegations.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/25/22]
August 29, 2022: A Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ordered Kemp To Testify, But Said It Could Wait Until After The Election. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “A judge has denied Gov. Brian Kemp’s request to avoid testifying before the special purpose grand jury investigating Donald Trump and his allies’ attempts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. But the Monday morning ruling from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney did say Kemp could appear before the grand jury at ‘some date soon after’ his contentious quest for reelection is concluded.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/29/22]
August 29, 2022: A Fulton County Superior Judge Rejected Chesebro’s Request To Quash Subpoena. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “In a separate Monday morning filing, McBurney denied a motion to quash filed by Kenneth Chesebro, a Trump campaign attorney. In court filings, prosecutors have said that Chesebro helped coordinate a plan for 16 Republicans to cast fake electoral college votes for Trump on Dec. 14, 2020. An attorney for Chesebro asked the judge to dismiss the subpoena requiring him to testify in front of the special grand jury, citing attorney-client privilege. McBurney wrote that, while some potential lines of inquiry would fall under those protections, many others would not. Those lines of inquiry, McBurney wrote, would include Chesebro’s ‘communications with Republican party officials in Georgia following the 2020 general election (and) his interactions with the individuals in Georgia seeking to prepare a slate of ‘alternate’ electors weeks after the final vote count showed former President Trump losing by over 10,000 votes in Georgia, etc.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/29/22]
October 7, 2022: Gingrich Was Subpoenaed By The Special Grand Jury For His Role In The Fake Elector Scheme. According to the Associated Press, “The Georgia prosecutor investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 election filed paperwork Friday seeking to compel testimony from a new batch of Trump allies, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed petitions seeking to have Gingrich and Flynn, as well as former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann and others, testify next month before a special grand jury that’s been seated to aid her investigation. […] Gingrich was also involved in a plan to have Republican fake electors sign certificates falsely stating that Trump had won the state and that they were the state’s official electors even though Democrat Joe Biden had won, the petition says. [Associated Press, 10/7/22]
October 26, 2022: A Circuit Court Judge Ordered Meadows Ordered To. According to NBC News, “A South Carolina judge ruled Wednesday that Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows must testify before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating possible interference in the 2020 presidential election. At a hearing Wednesday morning, South Carolina Circuit Judge Edward Miller ruled that Meadows must comply with a petition seeking his testimony before the grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, the clerk of court for Pickens County, South Carolina, told NBC News. Meadows, who lives in South Carolina, has tried to avoid testifying before the grand jury probe into possible election interference by then-President Donald Trump and his allies. An attorney for Meadows did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment.” [NBC News, 10/26/22]
November 3, 2022: Gingrich Attorney Attempted To Argue That Appearing Before The House January 6 Committee Made The Need For His Testimony At The Georgia Grand Jury Investigating 2020 Election Interference Unnecessary. According to the New York Times, “Before Mr. Gingrich, 79, a former member of Congress from Georgia, rose to power and fame in the early 1990s promoting a so-called ‘Contract with America,’ a statement of conservative governing principles. Mr. Gingrich has also been ordered to give testimony on Nov. 16 before a special grand jury in Atlanta that is conducting a criminal investigation into efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to reverse Mr. Trump’s loss in the Southern state. A court hearing in Fairfax County, Va., where Mr. Gingrich lives, on whether he must testify in Georgia is scheduled for Wednesday. However, in an interview on Thursday, Mr. Gingrich’s lawyer, J. Randolph Evans, said that he hoped a Virginia judge would be convinced that Mr. Gingrich’s testimony before members of Congress would render his client’s appearance in Atlanta unnecessary. ‘The idea being that if this really is about information, presumably the Jan. 6 committee would do a good job and obviate the need for testimony in Georgia,’ Mr. Evans said.” [New York Times, 11/3/22]
December 3, 2020: Rudy Giuliani Testified Before The Georgia Senate Judiciary Subcommittee. According to the Augusta Chronicle, “Georgia lawmakers aired claims of 2020 election fraud Thursday afternoon at a hearing that featured President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani. The former New York City mayor’s appearance came after state senators fielded testimony at a separate hearing Thursday morning from a top state election official who stressed no evidence has been found of widespread fraud in Georgia.” [Augusta Chronicle, 12/3/20]
Most Of The Claims Made By Giuliani And Trump’s Legal Team Were False, Misleading, Or Lacked Evidence. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, “The president's legal team came to a Georgia State Senate hearing Thursday to share allegations of fraud and misconduct within Georgia's election. Most of the claims were false, misleading or lacking actual evidence. During the nearly 7-hour meeting of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee chaired by outgoing State Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick), lawmakers were repeatedly told that Georgia's election, in which President-elect Joe Biden narrowly won the state's 16 electoral votes by about 12,000 votes over President Donald Trump, was illegitimate and needed to be tossed. The bulk of the hearing focused on arguments made by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has traveled to multiple battleground states seeking to overturn results with dubious legal claims that allege a grand conspiracy to take the White House from President Trump. Thursday's trip to Georgia was no different. In a series of fantastical claims and statements from various and sundry people touted as experts, Giuliani falsely told a room of mostly Republican lawmakers that Georgia's voting machines could not be trusted, tens of thousands of absentee ballots were illegally cast and counted and that the legislature should appoint its own slate of electors for President Trump.” [Georgia Public Broadcasting, 12/4/20]
One Witness Brought By Giuliani Baselessly Claimed That Voting Machines Were Compromised By Rogue Actors In Venezuela, China, And Iran. According to the Augusta Chronicle, “Giuliani, who has floated fraud claims and conspiracies in other battleground states including Michigan and Pennsylvania, brought witnesses alleging Georgia’s voting machines potentially switched thousands of votes in favor of Biden. They have called for a forensic audit of both the machines and signatures on absentee-ballot envelopes. One witness, who also provided an affidavit in a separate lawsuit filed by Trump ally Sidney Powell, presented statistical modeling purporting to show Biden received more votes than he should have. That witness’ affidavit claims the voting machines were ‘compromised by rogue actors’ in Venezuela, China and Iran and feature software that “can be easily obtained on the dark web.’” [Augusta Chronicle, 12/3/20]
Claims From Trump’s Legal Team That Election Monitors Were Asked To Leave Were Proven False. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, “The most viral claim from the hearing is a 90-second clip of surveillance footage from Fulton County's tabulation center set up at State Farm Arena. Culled from hours of vote counting, the short clip allegedly shows election workers bringing suitcases of ballots out from underneath a table to be counted in secret after Republican monitors were told to go home. But that's not what was shown and the claims misunderstand the laws and rules around counting. State and county officials, including investigators for the secretary of state's office, said that the video clip making the rounds show the normal tabulation process. No monitors were told to leave, but Republican monitors and members of the media left when some election employees called ‘cutters’ wrapped up for the night. Georgia law § 21-2-408 spells out the rules for partisan poll watchers, allowing them to be present and monitor aspects of the elections process. But having monitors there is not required — and in fact, Democrats did not have monitors present at that time.” [Georgia Public Broadcasting, 12/4/20]
Trump’s Team’s Falsely Claimed There Was A Suitcase Full Of Ballots Removed, When It Was, In Fact, An Empty Bin. According to Georgia Pubic Broadcasting, “As for the so-called suitcase full of ballots allegedly removed from under the table? It was empty, the state's investigator said. ‘There wasn't a bin that had ballots in it under the table,’ Frances Watson told Lead Stories. ‘It was an empty bin and the ballots from it were actually out on the table when the media were still there, and then it was placed back into the box when the media were still there and placed next to the table.’ Furthermore, elections officials say there was nothing abnormal about the tabulation of ballots shown on the video. ‘What the video shows is that they have pulled out plastic bins from underneath the desks,’ Fulton elections director Rick Barron said Friday morning. ‘It was normal processing that occurred there, as Gabe Sterling from the state explained this morning.’ Sterling, the state's voting system implementation manager, said that investigators for the state watched the full surveillance video from Election Day and said those bins of ballots were already there and accounted for earlier in the day, while both monitors and the media were there. A monitor appointed by the state election board had also briefly left and returned at 11:52 p.m. and another state investigator was there starting at 12:15 a.m. The final ballots were scanned around 12:43 a.m. So no ballots were illegally counted in secret, there was no ‘suitcase’ of ballots being added into the totals. The clip is misleading and the claims untrue.” [Georgia Public Broadcasting, 12/4/20]
Trump Campaign Advisors Who Lied To The Georgia Legislature May Have Committed Crimes. According to the Washington Post, “First, they are pursuing whether there were violations of Georgia law prohibiting false statements to government officials. Those statutes could apply to Giuliani and other Trump campaign advisers who cited evidence — later debunked — of widespread election fraud when speaking to Georgia legislative committees.” [Washington Post, 9/5/22]
July 5, 2022: Giuliani Was Subpoenaed Concerning His Testimony Before The Georgia Legislature. According to the Washington Post, “As part of an ongoing investigation into Donald Trump’s potential criminal interference in the 2020 presidential election, several of the former president’s closest advisers — including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani — are being subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in Georgia’s Fulton County, according to court filings obtained by The Washington Post. […] Court documents related to Giuliani cite his December 2020 testimony before the Georgia legislature, during which he claimed to have evidence of widespread voter fraud. Giuliani presented lawmakers with a video claiming election workers had produced ‘suitcases’ full of unlawful ballots during counting at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Investigators dismissed the claims shortly thereafter. ‘Despite this, the Witness made additional statements, both to the public and in subsequent legislative hearings, claiming widespread voter fraud in Georgia during the November 2020 election and using the now-debunked State Farm video in support of those statements,’ a court filing says. Giuliani ‘possesses unique knowledge concerning communications between himself, former President Trump, the Trump Campaign, and other known and unknown individuals involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere,’ according to court documents.” [Washington Post, 7/5/22]
July 5, 2022: Eastman Subpoenaed Concerning Over His Testimony Before The Georgia Legislature. According to the Washington Post, “The subpoenas, which were approved July 5 by the judge presiding over the grand jury, summon senior members of Trump’s legal team, including Giuliani, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis and Cleta Mitchell, all of whom are believed to have knowledge of Trump’s attempts to tamper with the election process in battleground states such as Georgia, according to the documents. The conservative pundit Jacki Pick Deason was also subpoenaed. […] Eastman, who helped lead the Trump legal team’s efforts, also testified to the Georgia legislature that lawmakers had a ‘duty’ to replace the state’s official electors selected by the Georgia Democratic Party with a fake slate of nominees, according to the documents. Ellis, a Trump legal adviser, also testified to the Georgia legislature about the false claims at the State Farm Arena.” [Washington Post, 7/5/22]
August 17, 2022: Giuliani Testified Before The Special Grand Jury For Six Hours. According to CNN, “Rudy Giuliani, who was told by Atlanta prosecutors that he is a target in their probe of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election subversion schemes in Georgia, appeared behind closed doors for grand jury testimony in the investigation Wednesday. Giuliani declined to comment to CNN on his way into the Superior Court of Fulton County just before 8:30 a.m. ET. He wrapped up his appearance before an Atlanta-area grand jury after roughly six hours, his car flanked by police escorts as he departed without speaking to reporters. Bob Costello, an attorney for Giuliani, told CNN he would not provide any details about what Giuliani was asked and how he responded. ‘The grand jury is secret, and we’re going to keep it that way,’ Costello told CNN.” [CNN, 8/17/22]
August 31, 2022: Eastman Invoked Attorney-Client Privilege And The 5th Amendment In Testimony Before The Grand Jury. According to CNN, “John Eastman has appeared before the Fulton County grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn 2020 election in Georgia, according to a statement released Wednesday by his attorneys. Eastman, the conservative attorney who authored a memo outlining a six-step plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election and award Trump a second term was advised to ‘assert attorney client privilege and the constitutional right to remain silent where appropriate,’ the statement says. ‘Out of respect for grand jury secrecy we will not disclose the substance of the questions or testimony. We wish to thank the grand jurors for their service,’ it adds.” [CNN, 8/31/22]
January 3, 2021: A Report Came Out Highlighting How Trump Seemingly Alluded To Pak As A “Never-Trumper U.S. Attorney” In Phone Call With Raffensperger. According to the Washington Post, “His departure also came just a day after The Washington Post reported on an extraordinary call in which Trump urged Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to ‘find’ enough votes to overturn his election defeat in that state. Legal scholars said the request from Trump was an obvious abuse of power that might warrant criminal investigation. In the same conversation, Trump cited a ‘never-Trumper U.S. attorney’ in Georgia — a possible reference to Pak — and hinted vaguely and baselessly that Raffensberger’s refusal to act on his unfounded fraud claims constituted a ‘criminal offense.’” [Washington Post, 1/5/21]
January 4, 2021: Byung “BJay” Pak, The U.S. Attorney For Northern Georgia, Resigned. According to the Washington Post, “The top federal prosecutor in Atlanta abruptly resigned this week and President Trump bypassed his top deputy in selecting a temporary replacement — an unusual set of moves, even in the administration’s waning days. On Monday, Byung J. ‘BJay’ Pak, whom Trump had appointed as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in 2017, unexpectedly told colleagues he was stepping down. Then, on Tuesday, officials announced that Trump had installed Bobby L. Christine, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Georgia, to replace Pak on an acting basis, even as he maintained his current role. Departures of U.S. attorneys late in the administration are commonplace, and many appointed by Trump already have left or announced plans to do so. But Pak’s departure took colleagues aback because of its swiftness. That day, Pak was supposed to participate in a meeting with former federal prosecutors, but suddenly called it off, people familiar with the matter said.” [Washington Post, 1/5/21]
January 5, 2021: Southern Georgia District U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine Named As Pak’s Replacement. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia will take on additional duties and also serve as the acting U.S. attorney for North Georgia, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Bobby Christine, appointed by President Donald Trump as the top federal prosecutor for South Georgia, was tapped to replace Byung J. ‘BJay’ Pak, who resigned Monday. Pak was also appointed by Trump.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/5/21]
However, Christine Said He Could Not Make That Declaration Public. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “‘I would love to stand out on the street corner and scream this, and I can’t,’ said Bobby Christine, according to an audio recording of the call obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/12/21]
July 14, 2022: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Was Subpoenaed By The Special Grand Jury For The Entire Conference Call Between Christine And His Staff. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “A recent subpoena sent to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution underscores a Fulton County grand jury’s interest in the abrupt resignation of former U.S. Attorney Byung J. ‘BJay’ Pak as then-President Donald Trump contested Georgia’s election results. The 23-person Fulton County special grand jury, which is tasked with examining potential criminal interference in the state’s 2020 elections, is seeking the full audio recording of a conference call among staff of the local U.S. attorney’s office on Jan. 11, 2021. The AJC obtained a copy of the recording and reported on it the next day, publishing only relevant quotes from the call on its website. Bobby Christine, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, led the meeting. Just days into the role, he aimed to reassure colleagues rattled by the Pak’s unexpected resignation. Christine also informed the staff that he had dismissed two election fraud cases filed by supporters of Trump due to lack of evidence.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/14/22]
September 15, 2022: Christine Was Also Subpoenaed By The Special Grand Jury. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “A Fulton County special grand jury is seeking the testimony of the former federal prosecutor who stepped in to lead the Atlanta U.S. Attorney’s office in the final days of the Trump administration. A new court filing from an Alabama attorney on Thursday confirmed that ex-U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine has been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, which is investigating whether former President Donald Trump or his allies broke the law as they sought to overturn the results of Georgia’s last presidential election. In the filing, Birmingham-based attorney Miles ‘Matt’ Hart acknowledged Christine’s summons, though he provided few other details. Reached by phone on Thursday afternoon, Hart declined to comment on when Christine was scheduled to testify and what the 23-person grand jury may want to question his client about. But he did clarify that Christine, now Columbia County district attorney, is not a ‘target’ of the Fulton investigation. ‘He was simply a witness,’ Hart told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/15/22]
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the following people have been named targets of the investigation (all targets have also been subpoenaed):
| Name | Role | Portion Of The Investigation |
| Rudy Giuliani | Lawyer for Trump | Trump-Raffensperger Call, Fake Electors, Legislative Hearings |
| David Shafer | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Mark Amick | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Joseph Brannan | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Ken Carrol | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Brad Carver | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Vikki Consiglio | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| John Downey | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Carolyn Fisher | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Kay Godwin | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| David Hanna | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Mark Hennessy | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Cathy Latham | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Daryl Moody | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Shawn Still | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| C.B. Yadav | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
| Burt Jones | Fake Elector | Fake Electors |
[Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/7/22]
According to WABE, the following people have been subpoenaed by the Fulton County Grand Jury:
| Name | Title | Status |
| Chris Carr | Georgia Attorney General | Testified |
| Geoff Duncan | Georgia Lieutenant Governor | Testified |
| Janine Eveler | Cobb County Elections Director | Testified |
| Michael Flynn | Former White House National Security Advisor | Subpoenaed |
| Newt Gingrich | Former U.S. House Speaker | Subpoenaed |
| Lindsey Graham | U.S. Senator | Subpoenaed |
| Erica Hamilton | Former DeKalb County Elections Director | Subpoenaed |
| Jody Hice | U.S. House Representative | Testified |
| Jen Jordan | Georgia State Senator, Democratic Nominee for Attorney General | Testified |
| Brian Kemp | Governor of Georgia | Subpoenaed |
| William Ligon | Former Georgia State Senator | Testified |
| Mark Meadows | Former White House Chief of Staff | Subpoenaed |
| Bee Nguyen | Georgia House Representative, Democratic Nominee for Secretary of State | Testified |
| Elena Parent | Georgia State Senator | Testified |
| Brad Raffensperger | Georgia Secretary of State | Testified |
| David Ralston | Georgia Speaker of the House | Testified |
[WABE, 10/12/22]
According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the following additional persons have also been subpoenaed:
| Name | Title |
| Ryan Germany | General Counsel for the Georgia Secretary of State |
| Cleta Mitchell | Lawyer for Trump |
| Frances Watson | Chief Investigator for the Georgia Secretary of State |
| John Eastman | Lawyer for Trump |
| Kenneth Cheseboro | Lawyer for Trump |
| George Chidi | Journalist and Commentator |
| Jenna Ellis | Lawyer for Trump |
| Jacki Pick Deason | Lawyer and Podcast Host |
| Bobby Christine | Former Deputy U.S. Attorney |
| Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Newspaper |
| Gabe Sterling | Voting Systems Manager for the Georgia Secretary of State |
| Chris Harvey | Elections Director for the Georgia Secretary of State |
| Tricia Raffensperger | Wife of Brad Raffensperger |
| Trevian Kutti | Former Publicist |
| Alex Holder | Documentarian |
| Cody Hall | Spokesman for the Governor |
| Sidney Powell | Lawyer for Trump |
| Boris Ephsteyn | Trump Advisor |
| James “Phil” Waldron | Cyber Researcher |
| Harrison Floyd | Director of Black Voices for Trump |
| SullivanStrickler | Data Services Firm |
| L. Lin Wood | Lawyer |
[Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/7/22]
Willis Graduated From Howard University In 1992. According to the Government of Fulton County, “Fani is a proud Bison, graduating from Howard University in 1992.” [Fulton County, viewed 11/3/22]
Willis Received Her JD From The Emory University School Of Law In 1996. According to the Government of Fulton County, “She came to Georgia to attend Emory University School of Law, graduating in 1996.” [Fulton County, viewed 11/3/22]
2006-2018: Willis Worked In The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. According to the Atlanta Voice, “For sixteen years, Willis worked for Howard in the Fulton District Attorney’s Office. Willis also served as the lead prosecutor in the trial of 12 Atlanta Public School teachers accused of correcting standardized test answers by their students. All but one of the defendants was found guilty of racketeering.” [Atlanta Voice, 8/12/20]
2018: Willis Lost A Race For Fulton County Superior Court Judge. According to the Atlanta Neighbor, “She lost to Kevin Farmer with 44.7% of the vote in the 2018 Fulton Superior Court judge runoff election to replace the retiring Tom Campbell.” [Atlanta Neighbor, 4/16/20]
2018-2020: Willis Went Into Private Practice And Founded Her Own Law Firm According to the Atlanta Voice, “In 2018, Willis returned to private practice and opened her own law firm in Midtown Atlanta. The Law Offices of Fani T. Willis, LLC., specializes in criminal defense, business, and corporate litigation, civil forfeiture and family law.” [Atlanta Voice, 8/12/20]
2019-2020: Willis Was Appointed Chief Municipal Judge Of City Of South Fulton Before Resigning To Run For District Attorney. According to the Atlanta Neighbor, “Willis, who lives in the city of South Fulton and has a private legal practice, was appointed as the chief municipal judge for that city in 2019 but resigned April 3 to run for district attorney.” [Atlanta Neighbor, 4/16/20]
August 12, 2020: Willis Defeated A Six-Term Incumbent te To Become Fulton County District Attorney. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Fani Willis declared victory Tuesday night in her bid for Fulton County District Attorney, soundly defeating her former boss, Paul Howard” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/12/20]
January 1, 2021: Willis Was Sworn In As District Attorney. According to the Government of Fulton County, “Fani took office on January 1, 2021, after ousting a longtime incumbent while campaigning on a commitment to both protect Fulton’s neighborhoods and reform Fulton’s criminal justice system by making it fairer, more transparent, and focused on reducing crime by changing lives rather than just seeking retribution.” [Fulton County, viewed 11/3/22]