The special Fulton County grand jury investigating alleged election interference following the 2020 presidential contest recommended indictments for 39 people, including some prominent GOP figures. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, along with former Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, were among those targeted by the grand jury. However, the full list of recommended indictees appears to include almost every ally of former President Donald Trump who challenged the 2020 results from the Peach State to any degree.
District Attorney Fani Willis, whose name belongs on a long list of hyper-partisan Democrats hoping to be the one who finally brings Trump down, indicted 19 people, including the 45th president.
Indictments for Everyone!
The sheer number of Republican Party officials and advisors singled out by the grand jury – along with the staggering range of charges proposed – invites doubt about the panel’s make-up and overall objectivity. While not every member of the grand jury voted for every proposed indictment, the overwhelming majority seemed hell-bent on charging as many GOP figures with as many crimes as they possibly could.
It is also troubling that the names of those who were not ultimately charged have been released. Normally, the identity of anyone investigated by a grand jury but not indicted is not disclosed. There appears to be a certain amount of malice – even vindictiveness – surrounding the workings of this grand jury and the release of its final report.
The grand jury also concluded that there was no voter fraud in Georgia significant enough to have reversed the official result of the election. In essence, Fulton County – which includes Atlanta – investigated itself and found itself innocent. The jury was empaneled for seven months. During that time, it heard the testimony of around 75 witnesses.
Grand Jury Out of Control
To borrow from Shakespeare, something is rotten in the state of Georgia, or so it seems. First, there was the whole saga of how the 2020 election played out in the Peach State. What followed was an unprecedented backlash against Mr. Trump, his allies and advisors, and a host of current and former GOP state officials. Meanwhile, the rest of the Republicans in Georgia – from the governor on down – have buried their heads in the sand and allowed state Democrats to unleash everything they can against anyone who dared question the ballot counts. Going back to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Fani Willis Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
There’s one significant fact that shouldn’t be lost on anyone following the story of the Fulton County grand jury and Trump’s indictment under Georgia’s anti-racketeering statutes: In terms of achieving Electoral College dominance for at least a few decades into the future, the state of Georgia is the Democrats’ Holy Grail – especially now that Florida has turned from purple to red. Georgia’s 16 Electoral College votes are a vital part of the Democratic Party’s 2024 strategy.
Given the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between Georgia Democrats and their Republican counterparts, it is tempting to posit the latter have all but given up. It almost seems as if, in this supposedly red southern state, an incremental transfer of control is unfolding – with the consent of both state parties.
