Grand jury recommended charging Sen. Graham in Trump trial
September 8, 2023
A Georgia grand jury investigating former US President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat had recommended charging three Republican senators and other allies of the former president, a report released on Friday revealed.
The report, which was completed in December but sealed since, revealed the special grand jury had recommended criminal charges against 39 people. Georgia prosecutors eventually filed a criminal case against Trump, but only 18 others were charged alongside him.
Those the grand jury had recommended in its report included Georgia's two senators at the time, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. It also recommended charging Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
What do we know about the report?
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis requested the special grand jury's convention in 2021, to support her investigation into the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
The jurors consequently subpoenaed testimony from some 75 witnesses over several months. Witnesses included Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani and Graham, as well as top Georgia officials such as Governor Brian Kemp.
Despite its recommendations, the jury lacked the power to issue charges. However, Willis used the evidence gathered to seek last month's indictment.
Trump and his 18 co-defendants were indicted in August in Georgia over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the battleground state.
Trump is accused of putting pressure on Georgia officials to find him new votes. Many of his co-defendants are accused of illegitimately claiming to be official electors and signing fake election certificates in favor of Trump.
The former president has pleaded not guilty.
rmt/nm (AP, Reuters)