Atlanta D.A. likely to present Trump charges to grand jury this week

Witnesses say Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis will present 2020 election charges against Trump in the next few days

Published August 13, 2023 5:26PM (EDT)

Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia inside her office chambers in the Fulton County Justice Center Tower in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. (David Walter Banks/Getty Images)
Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia inside her office chambers in the Fulton County Justice Center Tower in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. (David Walter Banks/Getty Images)

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A pair of witnesses revealed Saturday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will start presenting her 2020 elections interference case against former President Donald Trump — the GOP's 2024 frontrunner — to a grand jury in Georgia this coming week.

While Willis has previously signaled her intention to make charging decisions this month, former Georgia Lt. Gov Geoff Duncan, a Republican, and independent journalist George Chidi publicly confirmed on Saturday that her office asked them to appear in court on Tuesday.

"I did just receive notification to appear on Tuesday morning at the Fulton County grand jury and I certainly will be there to do my part in recounting the facts," Duncan, a CNN political commentator, told the network's Fredricka Whitfield on-air.

"I have no expectations as to the questions, and I'll certainly answer whatever questions put in front of me and certainly don't want to go any deeper than that to, you know, jeopardize or compromise the investigation," Duncan continued. "But look, for me, this is a story that is important for Republicans to hear — Americans to hear."

"Let's hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Donald Trump's actions and the surrounding cast of characters around him," he added. "We watched a series of events happen here that were tragic and untruthful, and he's got a chance to present these facts and say, 'hey, I didn't know what was going on,' or, I think what reality's gonna be is, they knew exactly what they were doing."

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Meanwhile, Chidi said on social media Saturday, "I've just received a call from District Attorney Fani Willis' office. I have been asked to come to court Tuesday for testimony before the grand jury."

As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday:

Chidi stumbled upon a meeting of sham Republican electors at the state Capitol, part of an effort by the former president's allies in Georgia to undermine President Joe Biden's narrow 2020 victory.

Duncan would bring a different perspective to grand jurors. Once an ally of Trump, he publicly broke with the then-president in 2020 and has frequently criticized the "stop the steal" movement that spread through GOP circles.

After Biden won Georgia, Trump made a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which he pressured Georgia GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" in his favor — which prompted Willis' investigation.

Trump, who was in Iowa to campaign on Saturday, said on his Truth Social platform: "How can they charge me in Georgia? The phone call was PERFECT. WITCH HUNT!"

Preparations for the former president's potential fourth indictment come after he was hit with federal charges at the beginning of the month in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland after Trump announced his 2024 run last year — is also responsible for the classified documents probe that led to the ex-president's indictment in June. That came after Trump was charged in April in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation into alleged hush money payments during the 2016 election.


By Jessica Corbett

Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for Common Dreams. Follow her on Twitter: @corbett_jessica.

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