A former Georgia official and a journalist said Saturday they have been asked to appear before a grand jury in Fulton County on Tuesday investigation of alleged attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to reverse the results of the 2020 election in that state.
Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan acknowledged in an interview on CNN that he is expected to testify before the grand jury. Duncan, a Republican, later tweeted about it.
“I can confirm that I have been asked to testify before the Fulton County grand jury on Tuesday. I look forward to answering their questions surrounding the 2020 election,” said Duncan. said in the tweet. “Republicans should never confuse honesty with weakness.”
After losing the 2020 election, Trump reportedly tried to pressure Duncan and other Georgia officials convene a special legislative session to overturn the results of the state. Duncan and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, both Republicans, declined that alleged request.
The investigation began shortly after a taped phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, in which Trump said, “I just want to find 11,780 votes, that’s one more than we have.”
It has since grown into a full-scale investigation into a series of attempts to reverse the state’s results following Trump’s loss, including an alleged plan to replace the state’s then-President-elect Joe Biden’s vote with a slate of alternates, or “fake”. ,, voters.
Journalist George Chidi too tweeted Saturday he was asked to appear before the grand jury on Tuesday.
“I just got a call from District Attorney Fani Willis’s office asking me to come to court on Tuesday for grand jury testimony,” Chidi wrote.
Chidi previously wrote in The Intercept about accidentally “bursting into a semi-clandestine gathering of Republicans posing as Georgia’s official voters in December 2020.”
Willis’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
Willis indicated in letters told Fulton County Chief Judge and Sheriff that potential charges in the case could come between July 31 and August 18.
Trump has not been charged in the case and has denied wrongdoing. He has accused Willis, a Democrat, of investigating him for political gain.
Jennifer Little, an attorney for Trump, said in a Feb. 26 interview that Trump plans to fight a potential indictment.
“We absolutely do not believe that our client has done anything wrong, and if charges come, they are wrong charges,” Little said. “We will fight absolutely everything tooth and nail.”
Earlier this month, Trump was sued by federal special prosecutor Jack Smith in the Justice Department’s own investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to distort the results of the 2020 election. He was charged with four counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. He pleaded not guilty of the charges.
