Topline
Former President Donald Trump slammed the Georgia special grand jury investigating his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, claiming the jury’s indication it will recommend multiple indictments is “not JUSTICE,” even after he claimed “total exoneration” last week.
Former President Donald Trump criticized the Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury forewoman … [+]
Key Facts
On his social media platform Truth Social Wednesday morning, Trump called the investigation “ridiculous” and politically motivated, arguing the years-long probe is a “strictly political continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt of all time.”
Trump called the investigation, which has been ongoing since February 2021, an “illegal Kangaroo Court,” saying: “All I did is make TWO PERFECT PHONE CALLS!”—likely referencing a call he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, urging him to “find” votes to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden.
His comments come one day after grand jury foreperson Emily Kohrs told the New York Times the special grand jury—which cannot bring charges on its own—will recommend indicting multiple people, and though she did not list any names, said, “You’re not going to be shocked,” when asked if that list includes Trump.
Contra
Trump, who announced his 2024 presidential bid late last year, had previously praised the grand jury for its “Patriotism & Courage,” claiming on Truth Social last week the release of portions of the jury’s recommendations signaled a “total exoneration” of him, though the majority of the jury’s report has not yet been made public. Legal experts, meanwhile, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution it’s likely the jury will recommend indicting Trump because the jury recommended indicting someone who refused to testify—which Trump did not.
Chief Critic
Trump’s comments on Wednesday also come as attorneys close to Republican witnesses in the investigation reportedly plan to use Kohrs’ suggestion about possible indictments to try to quash any indictments from District Attorney Fani Willis. Kohrs also faced criticism from former federal prosecutor and CNN analyst Elie Honig, who said Wednesday Kohrs does not seem to take the first possible indictment of a former president “very seriously,” having gone public with a matter that is typically kept secret. ABC News legal expert Dan Abrams also argued Kohrs should not have gone public, saying it “isn’t helpful to the perception of objectivity of the criminal justice system,” but that her comments did not appear to violate the grand jury’s mandate for jury members to refrain from talking publicly about secret deliberations.
Key Background
Three sections of the special grand jury’s report were released last week, although the majority of the report—including sections that list the names of people facing indictments—were kept private, after a judge ruled they should not be made public until the investigation is concluded. The majority of the jury believes at least one of the 75 witnesses who testified had committed perjury. Speculation emerged that indictments could be imminent for Trump, as well as his attorney Rudy Giuliani and a group of 16 Georgia GOP officials who signed false certificates, claiming to be presidential electors. When asked about an indictment for Trump, Kohrs said this week, “it’s not rocket science.”
Further Reading
Georgia Trump Probe: Grand Jury Reportedly Recommends Multiple Indictments (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/02/22/trump-calls-georgia-criminal-investigation-kangaroo-court-after-juror-gives-interview-about-forthcoming-indictments/