Atlanta –
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s attorney in Georgia has criticized a Fulton County probe into potential illegal election interference after the head of a special grand jury seated to support the investigation was exposed this week. There is
Emily Coase spoke first in an interview published by The Associated Press on Tuesday, followed by interviews in other print and television news outlets. It explained some of what happened – how some witnesses behaved, how prosecutors interacted with witnesses, how some witnesses exercised their right not to answer certain questions, etc. .
Trump’s attorneys Drew Findling and Jennifer Little said they remained silent out of respect for the grand jury process, even though they had concerns about the panel’s procedures from the beginning. , said the revelations the course offered this week forced them to speak up.
“Ultimately, the credibility of what happened there is completely tainted and questioned,” Findling said in an interview with the Associated Press Wednesday night. “As a 30-year-old foreman, I had no regrets,” he said.
“She’s the product of a circus masquerading as a special-purpose grand jury,” he said.
The special grand jury was impeached at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fanny Willis. Willis is investigating whether Trump and his Republican supporters committed any crime when they tried to reverse his narrow 2020 election loss to Georgia Democrat Joe Biden. The commission did not have the power to indict, but was able to recommend Willis, the Democrat who ultimately decides whether an ordinary grand jury should seek indictment.
Findling and Little said the special grand jury should make recommendations to the district attorney based on the evidence and testimony presented in the jury room, but allowed them to see and read news coverage of the case. and expressed concern that he knew some of the witnesses. Efforts not to testify. Kohrs said prosecutors urged jurors to read and watch the news, but to keep an open mind.
Coles also shared many anecdotes from the proceedings that she found amusing and was very expressive in television interviews, sometimes laughing or making faces.
Findling and Little said the district attorney’s office, which was advising the special grand jury, should have done a better job of educating the grand jury about the solemnity of the procedure and the rules and limitations.
“No kidding,” said Findling. “It’s not a problem to giggle. It’s not a problem to laugh.”
Willis’ office declined to comment on Cole’s media appearances.
Trump’s lawyers also said the situation could have been avoided had the judge instructed members of the special grand jury not to speak to the press until the panel’s full and final report was released. Parts of the report were released last week, but Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said the section recommending specific charges against specific people would remain confidential for now. Said there was.
Under the federal system, grand juries are barred from speaking about what witnesses said or what happened in the room. is written only.
The grand jury disbanded on Jan. 9, and McBurney told the AP that he later met with the grand jury to discuss the situation. He said he provided them with a “roadmap” of what they were legally allowed to do and not publicly discuss.
He said he could discuss the statements of witnesses and the contents of the report, but not the deliberations.
Willis is interested in the Jan. 2, 2021 phone call Trump suggested to fellow Republican Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger that he could “find” the vote since the investigation began two years ago. Trump’s defeat to Biden in the state had to be reversed.
“This is all I want to do. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump said on that call.
