Georgia grand jury rejects Trump claim of election fraud

Washington, Feb 16 (EFE).- The special grand jury that spent nearly eight months investigating Donald Trump’s bid to reverse the outcome of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia rejected the Republican’s claims of fraud and urged prosecutors to consider charging at least one person with perjury, according to excerpts from their final report that were released Thursday.

“We find by unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election,” the 23 grand jurors said.

Four pages from what appears to be a nine-page document were made available by the district attorney’s office in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, the state capital.

County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the rest of the report to remain secret pending decisions by District Attorney Fani Willis on whether to seek indictments.

Willis said last month that a decision on charges was “imminent.”

“A majority of the Grand Jury believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it,” the report said. “The Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.”

Jurors heard from 75 witnesses, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was part of Trump’s legal team.

Willis identified Giuliani and 17 other people, including the chair of the Georgia Republican Party, as “targets” of the probe.

The investigation was spurred by revelations about a Jan. 2, 2021, telephone call in which Trump asked Raffensperger, Georgia’s top election official, to “find” the votes needed to shift the state’s electoral votes from Democrat Joe Biden to the incumbent.

A recording of the conversation was made public by The Washington Post.

If Willis decides to prosecute anyone, she will have to obtain an indictment from a regular grand jury.

The district attorney has spoken in the past of the possibility of bringing Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges, which would permit prosecutors to indict multiple defendants for participation in a criminal enterprise.