Fulton County DA says charges could come as soon as July in election interference probe

by Rebecca Beitsch - 04/24/23 5:34 PM ET

FILE – Fulton County Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis poses for a photo in her office in Atlanta, Jan. 4, 2022. Willis last year opened a criminal investigation “into attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election.” A special grand jury with subpoena power was seated in May at her request. A group of Georgia Republicans who have been informed that they are at risk of being indicted in an investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia are fighting subpoenas to testify before the special grand jury. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) told law enforcement officers Monday she plans to announce indictments in her probe into interference into the 2020 election as early as July, requesting “heightened security and preparedness in the coming months.”

The letter, first reported by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, is one of the latest progress updates on a probe centered on former President Trump’s effort to block President Biden’s victory in the state since Willis in January said charging decisions would be imminent.

Willis said she will announce any indictment between July 11 and September 1, noting that an announcement in the case is likely to spur “significant public reaction.”

Willis’s case could be far reaching, with prior interviews with the grand jury forewoman noting its final report suggested multiple indictments.

While Trump was never interviewed in connection with the probe, his former attorney Rudy Giuliani was informed he was a target of the investigation, as were 16 Republicans who met as part of the Trump campaign’s false elector scheme.

In recent court filings, Willis indicated she had offered immunity deals to some of those who cast fake electoral votes for Trump during a meeting at the Georgia statehouse.

But there are numerous other potential defendants who could be implicated in the case.

“It is not a short list,” jury forewoman Emily Kohrs previously told The New York Times of the people and crimes referenced in the report.

“You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science,” she added.

Trump’s legal team has downplayed his involvement in the case, noting he was never asked to appear before the grand jury.

Still, Willis’s investigation is seen as one of the most promising pathways for an eventual prosecution of Trump, who in a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) asked him to “find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.”

Willis’s office did not respond to request for comment, nor did the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, one of the recipients of the letter.

Tags 2020 presidential election Brad Raffensperger Donald Trump Fani Willis Fani Willis Fulton county probe Joe Biden Rudy Giuliani