Atlanta prosecutor says decision ‘imminent’ on charging Trump in Georgia election interference case

An Atlanta prosecutor said Tuesday that “decisions are imminent” about whether to charge former President Donald Trump in his effort to bully Georgia officials into overturning his 2020 loss.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told a judge she is almost ready to decide whether to indict Trump, who called the state’s top election official to demand he “find” just enough votes to flip Biden’s narrow win in the Peach State.

Fulton County Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is shown in her office on Jan. 4, 2022. (Ben Gray/AP)

Willis urged Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney to keep sealed a report by a special grand jury into the case, at least until she decides whether to charge the former president and possibly “multiple others.”

McBurney did not immediately rule one way or other and vowed to notify all parties before any decision.

“No one’s going to wake up with the court having disclosed the report on the front page,” McBurney said.

The grand jury report likely includes recommendations about whether anyone should be charged and for what.

The court hearing Tuesday pitted prosecutors against a consortium of media outlets, who want the report made public immediately, and did not involve Trump or other potential defendants.

Trump was desperately seeking to cling to power when he called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger demanding that he “find” the approximately 12,000 votes he needed to overtake BIden.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on Nov. 15, 2022 in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Raffensperger, who taped the damning call and released it to the public, was a key witness for the grand jury along with Trump lawyers like Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.

The probe also looked at Trump’s scheme to create an alternate slate of fake electors that could challenge Biden’s real slate for legitimacy in Georgia.

Even though he played no direct role in the hearing, Trump posted several messages hours before the session, criticizing the Georgia investigation and defending his call to Raffensperger as “perfect.”

Source