The saga that began after then-President Donald Trump failed to carry Georgia in the 2020 general election will gain a new chapter this week when portions of the special grand jury’s final report are released.
The jury filed the report after an eight-month probe examining whether Trump and his allies criminally meddled in the presidential election.
Even if the excerpts scheduled for release on Thursday are short on details, they will be pored over by attorneys, the media and the public hoping for any insight into the deeper questions the special grand jury faced about who, if anyone, in Trump’s orbit should be charged.
Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney authorized the release of three parts of the document, including the introduction and conclusion as well as a third segment where jurors expressed concern that not all the testimony received was truthful.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis said after reviewing the order that everyone should manage their expectations.
“I think the information we’ll receive on Thursday will be thin, otherwise it would defeat Judge McBurney’s due process concerns,” Kreis wrote on Twitter. “What may be most telling is the tenor of the Grand Jury’s disposition, which may give a hint about their bottom line.”
McBurney attempted to walk the fine line between the public’s right to know and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who wanted it to be kept under wraps while she decides her next steps. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets wanted the grand jury’s report released in full.
McBurney mostly sided with Willis, saying releasing the full document now could affect the rights of future defendants.
But he did agree that the public deserved to learn now about the portion of the report where the jury “discusses its concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony to the grand jury.” This excerpt doesn’t include any names of witnesses.
As far as when Willis might announce charges: it might be “days and weeks,” Kreis said. Willis has said indictments are “imminent,” but clarified to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday that she meant “legally imminent, not reporter imminent.”
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
GOP FOCUS. This legislative session hasn’t yet been shaped by conflicts over abortion rights, gun expansions or other hallmarks of the ongoing cultural wars. But a more muted battle is going on.
So far, lawmakers have advanced measures to block schools from requiring coronavirus vaccines and return to mandatory minimum prison sentences.
Other proposals to ban homeless camps, restrict surgeries for transgender youth and limit some foreign nationals from buying agricultural land could gain traction.
So could a bill to give the state more power over prosecutors that was partly inspired by GOP frustration with a progressive district attorney in Athens.
Credit: Randy Snyder/AP
Credit: Randy Snyder/AP
And on Tuesday, the Georgia Senate is set to vote on legislation to put a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the statehouse grounds and another that honors former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s Greater Georgia GOP voter mobilization group.
Some Democrats chalk it up to gerrymandering. State Sen. Josh McLaurin said he knew Republicans who were upset with their “safer” districts after they were redrawn in 2021. Why?
“Because it requires you to be crazier,” he said.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
DA BACKLASH. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is raising questions about the GOP-backed proposal to give the state more oversight over prosecutors and make it easier for frustrated residents to recall them.
“I completely disagree with it. And I think the timing of it is interesting. Two years ago, we elected more minorities than (there) ever have been before,” she told our AJC colleague Tamar Hallerman, adding: “I clearly object to it.”
State Rep. Houston Gaines said the measure aimed to rein in “rogue prosecutors” who are ignoring crime plaguing their communities.
“If a prosecutor is not doing his or her job, we need a system in state law to remove that individual from office,” said Gaines, an Athens Republican.
***
SEEING GREEN. The Democratic push to reorder the presidential primary could create thousands of jobs and create a nine-figure economic impact, according to a new analysis from an Emory University finance professor.
***
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 18:
- 8 a.m.: Committee hearings begin;
- 10 a.m.: The House gavels in;
- 10 a.m.: The Senate convenes.
***
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES:
- State Rep. Marcus Wiedower, R-Watkinsville, introduced House Bill 380, the long-awaited sports betting bill that’s backed by the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
- The Senate Homeland Security Committee passed Senate Bill 93, the bill from Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, that would ban TikTok and other social media platforms connected to foreign adversaries from state devices.
- The state Senate passed Senate Bill 44 from state Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia. The bill sets mandatory minimum sentences for gang activities, including recruiting.
***
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
APS NOT ON BOARD. Among the many new details in the revamped legislation to create the “City of Buckhead City” is a brief note giving the hypothetical mayor and city council the power to levy an annual ad valorem tax on Buckhead residents to be collected by the city and paid to the Atlanta Board of Education, which oversees Atlanta Public Schools.
That unorthodox tax arrangement — of one city taxing citizens for a separate city’s independent school district — came as news to APS, which continues to oppose both the proposal to separate the city of Atlanta and the false assumption that non-Atlanta children would attend APS schools en masse.
We reached out to APS for its updated reaction to the latest Buckhead language, and received the following response:
The Atlanta Board of Education opposes the proposed creation of a City of Buckhead and has done so every year this idea has been introduced in the Legislature. Keeping the City of Atlanta united is a legislative priority for this school district. APS is honored to serve as the local education agency for school-aged children within the City of Atlanta.
The Board and school district Administration will continue to educate legislators on the significant operational, legal, instructional, governance and financial impacts of potentially severing the Buckhead community from our city and school district. We stand in agreement with the clear majority of Atlanta residents and elected leaders who oppose this dangerous proposal.
*An earlier version of the Jolt incorrectly stated the “Atlanta Independent School System” is not described properly in the legislation. It is described properly and we regret the error.
***
Credit: Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times
Credit: Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on the economy during the National Association of Counties’ legislative conference in Washington.
- The U.S. Senate is voting on more judicial nominees.
- The U.S. House is out for two weeks.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
WHERE’S HERSCHEL? We still don’t know what Herschel Walker’s post-campaign plans are, including whether he’ll remain in Georgia or return to Texas where he lived until he declared his intention to run for the U.S. Senate.
While we don’t know his official home of record, we can tell you the former GOP Senate nominee is back on social media.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Walker tweeted, “Great game tonite and awesome ad sharing the grace of Jesus’ forgiveness, compassion and love! He gets us and loves us all. #HeGetsUs.” That was a reference to the “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ad from the Servant Foundation, an organization that supports conservative positions and whose donors include the founder of Hobby Lobby.
Last week, he joined the chorus of Republicans criticizing President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
Other than the occasional post about current events, Walker’s Twitter profile includes one more detail — it continues to list his home base as Georgia.
***
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
CALLING ALL DOGS. Jolt Nation, we’re excited to tell you about a new daily feature in the newsletter that we need your help with.
Starting next week, we’ll be bringing you the Jolt Dog of the Day, the pooch belonging to any politically adjacent Georgian, including Jolt readers, to include each morning. Send us your pups of any political persuasion (and cats on a case-by-case basis) to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
Because if you want a friend in politics, you need a dog — and the Jolt is no exception.
***
AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
