Georgia’s top elections official was expected to appear Thursday before a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to meddle in the 2020 election in the state.


What You Need To Know

  • Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s top elections official, was expected to appear Thursday before a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to meddle in the state's 2020 election

  • Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has confirmed her investigation includes looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win Georgia

  • Trump has said his call with Raffensperger was “perfect” and that he did nothing wrong

  • The former president directed his ire at Raffensperger after the fellow Republican refused to bend to pressure to overturn the votes that gave Joe Biden victory in Georgia; Raffensperger defeated a Trump-endorsed challenger in the Republican primary as he seeks reelection

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was summoned to the Fulton County courthouse where the special grand jury has been meeting, according to a subpoena obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. Other subpoenas seek documents and testimony from five other people in his office.

Trump directed his ire at Raffensperger after the fellow Republican refused to bend to pressure to overturn the votes that gave Joe Biden a victory in Georgia. Raffensperger defeated a Trump-endorsed challenger in the Republican primary as he seeks reelection.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has confirmed her investigation includes looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win Georgia. Trump has said his call with Raffensperger was “perfect” and that he did nothing wrong.

Willis has also previously said they’re looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election.

The special grand jury was selected at the beginning of last month. The investigation has been underway since early last year.

The chief judge ordered the special grand jury to be seated for a period of up to a year. Of the pool of about 200 people called from the county master jury list, 26 were chosen to serve — 23 grand jurors and three alternates.

Special grand juries focus on investigating a single topic and making recommendations to the district attorney, who then decides whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s been tasked with overseeing the special grand jury, told the people summoned to the jury pool that they wouldn’t be hearing a trial, but would instead be serving on an investigative special grand jury looking into actions surrounding the 2020 general election.

"You will be investigating if selected whether there were unlawful attempts to disrupt the election," McBurney said. "You will be deciding did something happen, and if so, in your opinion, was it in unlawful such that you might recommend to the district attorney that she pursue criminal charges. You might recommend the contrary, that there's nothing there there."

“Now it’s time for 26 members of our community to participate in that investigation,” McBurney said.

This is a developing story. Check back later for further updates.