At least eight of 16 Georgia Republicans who agreed to certify that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in 2020 have reached immunity deals with the Atlanta-area prosecutor investigating efforts to overturn the presidential election.
(Bloomberg) — At least eight of 16 Georgia Republicans who agreed to certify that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in 2020 have reached immunity deals with the Atlanta-area prosecutor investigating efforts to overturn the presidential election.
Seven of those eight gave interviews last month to prosecutors working for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, according to a court filing Friday by defense attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow.
The group of 16 were alternate electors in December 2020, willing to declare that Biden lost the election in Georgia to Trump. Willis has spent two years investigating those electors and other matters, including Trump’s call on Jan. 2, 2021, in which he asked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory in Georgia.
Debrow’s filing shows Willis’s investigation is active, but contradicted the prosecutor’s assertion that some of the electors incriminated others. Debrow said she was present for all seven interviews, and she said Willis made “false” allegations to the court that some electors incriminated others.
“None of the interviewed electors said anything in any of their interviews that was incriminating to themselves or anyone else,” Debrow wrote. “Indeed, several of the electors pointed out in their interviews that they had done nothing wrong.”
She said that some “provisionally executed their electoral ballot” to “protect the ability of Georgia to have electoral votes” in case Trump’s then-pending legal challenges to the election succeeded.
A spokesman for Willis didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, Willis accused Debrow of concealing immunity offers from her clients.
Willis also said last month she will announce charging decisions between July 11 and Sept. 1. Willis wrote to local law enforcement to bring “attention to the need for heightened security and preparedness in the coming months due to this pending announcement.”
Trump was indicted in New York in late March by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who accused the former president of falsifying business records to hide hush money paid to bury his extramarital sexual encounters and boost his electoral prospects in 2016. Trump pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
Hours after appearing in New York court on April 4, Trump said Willis was a “local racist Democrat district attorney” who wanted to indict him over “an absolutely perfect phone call.”
A special grand jury in Fulton County met for eight months, interviewing 75 witnesses, before delivering recommendations to the court.
That grand jury had the power to investigate but Willis’s prosecutors need to present their results to another panel to bring charges. Most of the report’s findings are sealed, although grand jurors have suggested in news media interviews that the panel recommended charges against Trump and others.
–With assistance from Margaret Newkirk.
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