ATLANTA — In a Tuesday afternoon court hearing, Fulton County District Attorney hinted she could seek indictments on multiple people in connection with the special purpose grand jury’s investigation into possible criminal interference in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney heard arguments about potentially releasing that investigative report.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she didn’t want it released now because it could impact her cases.
Attorneys for WSB-TV and other media outlets argued that, under Georgia law, the judge was required to release that report, and that the public had a right to know what was in it.
“The state understands the media’s inquiry and the world’s interest,” Willis argued. “But we have to be mindful of protect future defendants’ rights. If that report was released, there somehow could be arguments made that it impacts the right for later individuals, multiple, to get a fair trial.”
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But WSB-TV attorney Tom Clyde argued that there were no other potential defendants in the hearing arguing to keep the report sealed, only the DA’s Office. He also pointed out that the special grand jurors specifically asked the judge to release their investigation.
“We acknowledge the operations of the grand jury, while it was ongoing, were subject to a veil of secrecy,” Clyde said. “But that has come to an end, and they’ve issued their final report. And the jurors themselves have asked for it to be published.”
The special purpose grand jury finished its eight-month-long investigation two weeks ago. It looked into possible criminal meddling with Georgia’s 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and subpoenaed people like Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn.
McBurney will have to decide if a special purpose grand jury is an instrument of the court system or an investigative arm of the District Attorney’s Office.
That decision will guide him to whether he will release the report.
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