Georgia, USA election probe - DA Fani Willis and her special prosecutor Nathan Wade in sexual relationship

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
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Mr Trump has been under investigation for his 2021 phone call to a Georgia election official, pressing him to find thousands of votes in his favour.

The Republican has denied wrongdoing.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wallis, a Democrat, launched the investigation in early 2021. She has previously hinted that any charges would probably be filed in August.

A focal point of the inquiry is a January 2021 call between Mr Trump and Georgia’s chief elections officer, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the then-president suggested local officials could “find” more than 11,000 votes - enough to give him a victory in the Peach State.

In a recording of the call, Mr Raffensperger is heard replying that Georgia’s results are correct.

Mr Trump continued to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread electoral fraud in the months after he left the White House.

Mr Trump continues to deny the 2020 presidential election results, and has called the Georgia probe a “political witch hunt”, while describing his call with Mr Raffensperger as “perfect”.

On Tuesday, a new grand jury term begins in Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta and surrounding suburbs. Two 26-member panels were selected, one of which is expected to handle the case against Mr Trump and his allies. To bring criminal charges against the former president, the district attorney, Ms Willis, and her team must present her case to one of the grand juries assembled on Tuesday.

AFAIK, a grand jury indictment is just a first step in bringing a case to trial and means that the jury has decided there is enough evidence to take the case forward.

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The Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia has developed evidence to charge a sprawling racketeering indictment next month, according to two people briefed on the matter.

The racketeering statute in Georgia requires prosecutors to show the existence of an “enterprise” – and a pattern of racketeering activity that is predicated on at least two “qualifying” crimes.

In the Trump investigation, the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, has evidence to pursue a racketeering indictment predicated on statutes related to influencing witnesses and computer trespass, the people said.

The racketeering statute in Georgia is more expansive than its federal counterpart, notably because any attempts to solicit or coerce the qualifying crimes can be included as predicate acts of racketeering activity, even when those crimes cannot be indicted separately.

The specific evidence was not clear, though the charge regarding influencing witnesses could include Trump’s conversations with Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes, the people said – and thereby implicate Trump.

For the computer trespass charge, where prosecutors would have to show that defendants used a computer or network without authority to interfere with a program or data, that would include the breach of voting machines in Coffee county.

The grand jury that could decide whether to return an indictment against Trump was seated on 11 July. Charges stemming from the Trump investigation are expected to come between the final week of July and the first two weeks of August.

Interesting charges … :thinking:

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https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/30/politics/fulton-county-fani-willis-trump-investigation/index.html

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis reaffirmed in a local news interview that she will announce charging decisions by September 1 in her investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election result, while applauding the ramped-up security measures around the local courthouse.

“The work is accomplished,” Willis told CNN affiliate WXIA at a back-to-school event over the weekend. “We’ve been working for two and half years. We’re ready to go.”

Willis has previously signalled in letters to local officials and those providing security that she would make any charging announcements between July 31 and the end of August. She laid out a variety of security provisions her team plans to take beginning Monday.

In the local news interview, Willis also praised the Fulton County sheriff after barricades recently went up around the county courthouse in anticipation of what the sheriff’s office referred to as “high profile legal proceedings.”

“I think that the sheriff is doing something smart in making sure that the courthouse stays safe,” Willis said. “I’m not willing to put any of the employees or the constituents that come to the courthouse in harm’s way.”

Willis said that people may not be happy with her upcoming announcements and “sometimes when people are unhappy, they act in a way that could create harm.”

Willis also urged local officials to stay vigilant about possible security threats in an e-mail over the weekend, in which she shared a racist and sexualized message she received and said similar obscene messages had been left via voicemail.

“I am sending to you in case you are unclear on what I and my staff have come accustomed to over the last 2 ½ years,” Willis wrote in the email to Fulton County officials. “I guess I am sending this as a reminder that you should stay alert over the month of August and stay safe.”

MAGA - Morons Are Gathering Again in the backwoods … :105:

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Here are the main legal cases the former US president is involved in.

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good oh good oh bring him down lads bring him down - let the dogs free!!

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The Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia is expected to present evidence to a grand jury and ask it to return indictments as early as next Tuesday.

The prosecutors in the office of district attorney Fani Willis completed its internal reviews for criminal charges in the Trump case weeks ago. The review process, to identify any weakness with the case, is typically seen as the final step before charges are filed.

Willis has also privately indicated to her senior staff that the prosecutors on the Trump case were sufficiently prepared that they could go to trial tomorrow.

Trouble for Trump … :neutral_face:.

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Trump said “I probably have another [indictment]. They say there’s a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta. I guess they say that they were after a certain gang, and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang, or a gang member,” Trump said.

However, no credible evidence has been presented to back up allegations that Willis has ever had a relationship with any gang member. Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign and Willis’ office for comment via email on Tuesday afternoon.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek Tuesday afternoon that Trump’s comments on the case could end in a protective order or gag order.

“The judge in the Atlanta case, if and when Trump is indicted, may issue both a protective order and a gag order. The protective order will cover documents produced in discovery, and is pretty standard. A gag order is less common, and has not been issued in any of the former president’s other criminal cases so far,” he said in a statement. The issue with a gag order is that it is toothless unless the judge is willing to hold Trump in contempt if he violates it. That would be extraordinary, but this is not a usual case. So far, no judge has been willing to hold Trump in contempt and jail him, but that may change if Trump continues to flout the judges’ orders."

Trump is now taunting the prosecution with lies, knowing that, although they could bang him up for lies, they won’t.

It’s about time they did … :angry:

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Although that allegation is a lie, it’s interesting to note that:

Born in Inglewood, California in 1971, Ms Willis was raised primarily by her father, a criminal defence lawyer and member of the Black Panthers, the radical political party which championed black rights. She graduated from the historically black college Howard University in 1993, before receiving a law degree from Emory University in Georgia in 1996.

Just five years later, Ms Willis joined the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, where she served in several different divisions until 2018. During her nearly two decades there, Ms Willis led more than 100 jury trials, including the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. It ended with convictions for 11 of 12 Atlanta public school officials accused of cheating on state-administered standardised tests in 2009 for better bonuses and promotions.

Her successful trials quickly secured her a reputation of being an exceptionally skilled prosecutor. After her time in the office ended, Ms Willis spent several years in private practice. Then, in 2020, she decided to go head-to-head with her former boss, six-term Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. She won in a runoff election with 73% of the votes, becoming the first black woman to serve as Fulton County’s top prosecutor. As Fulton County’s district attorney, she is responsible for representing the government in criminal cases, investigating crimes in the county, determining whether charges should be brought and prosecuting cases in court.

Fani Willis was preparing to start her new role as Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia when Donald Trump made a phone call to a top Republican in the state that would upend her work for the next several years.

On 2 January 2021, the former president phoned Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked him to “find 11,780 votes”, the number he needed to beat Joe Biden, who had won the state and the 2020 presidential election several weeks before. Audio from the call was leaked to US media the next day, sparking an outcry on Ms Willis’s first day in office.

“How soon I knew an investigation may be warranted was on day one,” Ms Willis told USA Today in 2022. “The phone call was enough to… cause grave concern.”

Two-and-a-half years later, Ms Willis, 52, has indicated that Mr Trump could soon face criminal charges related to her office’s probe into the call and other efforts to overturn the election result in the state.

Seemingly, Fani is a highly intelligent, highly skilled and highly principled DA - Trump, on the other hand, is, seemingly, moronic, manipulative and machiavellian … :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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The announcement of the summonses confirmed previous reporting by the Guardian that Willis’s office in Atlanta on Tuesday would present evidence to a grand jury weighing charges against the former president. Prosecutors could ask the grand jury to hand up charges on Tuesday as well, having completed an internal review of evidence in the case weeks ago.

An indictment could come soon after the grand jury hears the case and in turn constitute a fourth active criminal case against Trump, who’s been facing mounting legal woes since April.

DT’s diary will soon be chock-a-block with criminal court appointments … :neutral_face:

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-news-today-indictment-latest-b2392262.html

Donald Trump has continued to rail against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia on his Truth Social platform in a swirl of protestations, accusations, and unfounded rumour-mongering

Here’s what the former president posted on Truth Social this morning:

Why is “Phoney” (Like in PERFECT “PHONE” CALL, get it?) Fani Willis, the severely underperforming D.A. of Fulton County who is being accused of having an “affair” with a Gang Member of a group that she is prosecuting, leaking my name in regard to a Grand Jury pertaining to Election Fraud & Irregularities that I say took place in Georgia. I made a PERFECT PHONE CALL OF PROTEST. What does Phoney Fani have to do with me? She should instead focus on the record number of murders in Atlanta!

The only Election Interference that took place in Fulton County, Georgia, was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election, not by me, who simply complained that the Election was Rigged and Stolen. We have Massive and Conclusive Proof, if the Grand Jury would like to see it. Unfortunately, the publicity seeking D.A. isn’t interested in Justice, or this evidence. Also, as in Manhattan, the corrupt DOJ is pushing hard trying to keep Biden in Office. The whole system is dishonest and broken!

Of course, Trump has NO Massive and Conclusive Proof just a Massive Ego and Conclusive Predilection for Prevarication … :roll_eyes:

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The Fulton county district attorney appears determined to finish presenting evidence in the Trump case to the grand jury tonight, meaning indictments could come tonight.

Judge Robert McBurney, who is the duty judge presiding over any grand jury returns, tells reporters he’s been informed he needs to stay for another hour. It appears the grand jury is voting on the election fraud charges.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-66364230

Judge Robert McBurney has just walked into the courtroom and has taken his seat.

Two sheriffs are standing on either side of him.

A line of sheriffs just walked into the courtroom along with the clerk.

The sheriff just handed Judge McBurney a piece of paper. He is reading it.

The piece of paper in Judge McBurney’s hand just now is what we believe to be documents indicting former US President Donald Trump and possibly some of his allies as well.

The clerk took the papers from the judge and was led out of the room by several sheriffs.

It’s two hours to midnight in Georgia, and here’s where things stand.

The Fulton County Clerk has been given the papers and will now begin processing them.

That means we could be waiting up to three hours to learn what the indictment papers say, according to the clerk.

Reporters will be sticking around, hoping for a hard copy version of the charges.

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Prosecutors in Georgia have charged Donald Trump and 18 others in a 41-count indictment for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-66364230

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the grand jury returned an indictment today “charging 19 individuals with violations of Georgia law arriving from a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in this state.”

Every individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act because they allegedly participated in “the illegal effort of allowing Donald J Trump to seize the presidential term of office”, Willis says.

“The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia’s legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results,” she said.

Fani Willis says she is giving defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than 12:00 local time on Friday 25 August.

The list of 18 defendants in addition to Trump, to name a few, includes:

  • Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani
  • Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows
  • Former White House lawyer John Eastman
  • Former justice department official Jeffrey Clark

Fani’s a Gang-Buster … :+1:

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"This is a state prosecution, and so any clemency or pardons could not come from a president.

So no chance there then, Donny.

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A well-constructed article with some interesting points:

Mr Trump and his co-defendants have been charged with 41 different offences. All face at least two charges. Mr Trump faces 13 separate counts.

The charges come with heavy penalties: prison sentences of between five and 20 years, and fines of at least $25,000. And while Donald Trump being sentenced to many years in prison is “fairly unlikely”, the heavy penalties could serve another purpose: scaring his allies into flipping (provide evidence against him).

Throughout the indictment, Mr Trump and the other defendants are referred to as “a criminal organisation” and “members of the enterprise”.

All 19 defendants are likely to face arraignment hearings in the coming days or weeks. This is where they could enter pleas. All indications are that Mr Trump will plead not guilty to everything. At these hearings, conditions could be set on the defendants’ release, pending a trial.

:kissing_smiling_eyes:

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A celebrity stylist and former Kanye West publicist is among 19 individuals indicted with former President Donald Trump for alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia.

Trevian Kutti, a Trump supporter, is accused of involvement in a plot to pressure a Fulton County election worker to falsely admit ballot fraud.

The 98-page court document alleges that Ms Kutti was recruited by Harrison Floyd, the leader of Black Voices for Trump and a co-defendant in the case, to travel to Atlanta, where she was to contact Ruby Freeman, an election worker. She allegedly lied to Ms Freeman’s neighbour, saying she was a “crisis manager” who had come to help the vote counter.

According to the indictment, Ms Freeman met the publicist at a Cobb County Police Department precinct on 4 January 2021. During the meeting, Ms Kutti allegedly asked Ms Freeman to confess to voter fraud and told her she was “in danger”. Ms Kutti allegedly also warned people would come to Ms Freeman’s home in 48 hours if she didn’t confess.

According to the indictment, Ms Kutti was in contact with alleged co-conspirators Harrison Floyd and Stephen Lee, a pastor from Illinois, several times before she travelled to Atlanta. Mr Floyd also allegedly spoke to Ms Freeman on the phone while Ms Kutti was with her.

The three face a charge of conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings for allegedly trying to coerce Ms Freeman to say she had committed election fraud.

Will one of the alleged co-conspirators “flip” … :question:

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It is fascinating to see how many people are to prepared to lie cheat and steal for Trump.It must be his magnetic personality.

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Well, like attracts like … :wink:

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no matter what theyy are charged with they will always fight back that is the nature of psychosis - keep fightin lads! and don’t fprget to keep takin ya pills too!!

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The grand jurors’ purported addresses were spotted by Advance Democracy, a nonpartisan research group founded by Daniel J. Jones, a former FBI investigator and staffer for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee.

“It’s becoming all too commonplace to see everyday citizens performing necessary functions for our democracy being targeted with violent threats by Trump-supporting extremists," Jones said. "The lack of political leadership on the right to denounce these threats — which serve to inspire real-world political violence — is shameful.”

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the surrender of Trump and his co-defendants over the next 10 days, initially declined to comment, but said in a statement Thursday after this article published that they are “aware that personal information of members of the Fulton County Grand Jury is being shared on various platforms.”

The grand jurors have come under attack in the days since Trump’s indictment, the fourth criminal indictment brought against the twice-impeached former president.

“These jurors have signed their death warrant by falsely indicting President Trump," a post on a pro-Trump forum read in response to a post including the names of jurors, which was viewed by NBC News.

Death threats in the USA have to be taken seriously … :neutral_face: