Georgia grand jury recommended charging three U.S. senators, others

A Georgia grand jury recommended criminal charges against three Republican U.S. senators and other allies of Donald Trump as part of its investigation into efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 presidential defeat, according to a report released on Friday. The report had been sealed for nine months. The special grand jury convened in 2021 at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to aid her investigation.

A Georgia grand jury recommended criminal charges against three Republican U.S. senators and other allies of Donald Trump as part of its investigation into efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 presidential defeat, according to a report released on Friday. The special grand jury recommended charging Georgia's two senators at the time, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, as well as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the report showed.

The panel also recommended charges against Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, adviser Boris Epshteyn and lawyers Lin Wood and Cleta Mitchell, the report showed. None were ultimately charged when Georgia prosecutors filed a sweeping criminal case against Trump and 18 co-conspirators.

Loeffler and Perdue are no longer in office. The report had been sealed for nine months.

The special grand jury convened in 2021 at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to aid her investigation. Over several months, the jurors subpoenaed testimony from 75 witnesses, including Trump allies such as his former attorney Rudy Giuliani, Graham and top Georgia officials such as Governor Brian Kemp. The special grand jury did not have the power to issue charges. But Willis used the evidence it gathered to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury last month that accused Trump and his co-defendants of overseeing a wide-ranging conspiracy to sabotage Democrat Joe Biden's statewide victory.

The indictment listed 30 unindicted co-conspirators, who have not been charged but allegedly played a role in the scheme. All 19 defendants have pleaded not guilty. As with his three other criminal prosecutions, Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said he is the victim of political persecution.

Despite his legal troubles, he remains the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination next year against Biden, the incumbent. The special grand jury report remained secret at Willis's request while she determined what charges to bring. With the indictments issued, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in an order last week, there is no longer any reason to keep it from the public.