Georgia judge to release parts of report on Trump’s efforts to overturn election

GEORGIA – Portions of a Georgia special grand jury’s report on Mr Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election should be publicly released, but any recommendations on criminal charges will remain sealed for now, a state judge ruled on Monday.

The panel’s findings, which have remained sealed since the final report’s existence was disclosed in January, could potentially serve as the basis for a prosecution of Mr Trump or his associates who attempted to reverse Democratic President Joe Biden’s statewide victory.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said in the order that three parts of the report would be released on Thursday: the introduction, the conclusion and a section in which the grand jury “discusses its concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath”.

But he declined for now to release the full report, including any recommendations as to whether individuals should be charged. He cited concern about the due process rights of witnesses or potential defendants who were not afforded a full chance to respond to allegations during the grand jury process.

“This is particularly true if the grand jury’s final report includes recommendations involving individuals who never appeared before the grand jury and so had no opportunity, limited or not, to be heard,” he wrote. Mr Trump was not subpoenaed and did not testify to the grand jury.

The decision on whether to file criminal charges ultimately lies with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. At a court hearing on Jan 25, Ms Willis told McBurney that charging decisions were “imminent” and urged him to keep the grand jury report under wraps for now to ensure future defendants cannot cry foul.

Ms Willis’ investigation could make Mr Trump the first former US president to face criminal prosecution, months after he launched his bid for the Republican presidential nomination to challenge Mr Biden in 2024.

Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused Ms Willis, an elected Democrat, of targeting him for political gain.

Judge McBurney said he was delaying the report’s partial release until Thursday to give prosecutors time to discuss with him whether any further redactions need to be made.

Ms Willis launched her investigation shortly after a January 2021 phone call in the waning days of Mr Trump’s term, when the then president urged Georgia’s top election official to “find” enough votes to deliver him the state. Days later, Trump supporters breached the US Capitol seeking to stop Congress from certifying Mr Biden’s victory.

Mr Biden’s Georgia win, the first for a Democratic presidential candidate in nearly three decades, confirmed the state’s emergence as a political battleground, a status that has been underscored by a series of high-profile Senate races that have helped Democrats maintain a majority in the chamber.