As we’ve long noted around these parts, it’s basically a full-time job to keep up with the legal affairs of Donald Trump, and the various ways he stands to be—and in some cases, has already been—civilly and criminally screwed. At present, one of the most pressing situations involves Fulton County, Georgia, and its district attorney’s investigation into the ex-president’s attempt to overturn the election there.
On Monday, the special grand jury that was convened last May to investigate Trump, as well as his allies, wrapped up its work, according to the judge who oversaw the proceedings. On January 24, a hearing will be held to decide whether or not to make the grand jury’s report public, which is what the jury recommended. And while it’s not clear if criminal charges will be brought generally, or against Trump specifically, people who know Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis have suggested the former guy should be at least somewhat concerned.
Per The Washington Post:
Willis’s aggressive and high-profile pursuit of the case—which has included forcing top-tier Trump insiders to testify before a grand jury, and potentially subpoenaing the former president himself—has prompted criticism that she has exceeded her mandate as a local prosecutor.… But those who know her well are not surprised: Willis’s strategy, they say, reflects the nature of a prosecutor who is unafraid to investigate sensitive or seemingly untouchable targets. “She is a pit bull,” said Vince Velazquez, who served for 17 years as a homicide detective in Atlanta, working frequently with Willis. “If I committed a crime, I would not want to be prosecuted by Fani Willis.”
Observers say the threat to Trump is real and immediate and that the Fulton investigation could make him the first sitting or former president to be indicted on criminal charges. Willis has said she is considering subpoenaing Trump and has notified at least 18 others that they are “targets” and could face indictment.
In September, Willis told the Post that her office has been on the receiving end of credible allegations that major crimes had committed as part of the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and that “if indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences.” The outlet noted on Monday that “Willis could file charges in the case in the coming weeks.”
Last August, after it was revealed that Rudy Giuliani was an official target of Willis’s investigation, attorney Norman Eisen told The New York Times: “There is no way Giuliani is a target of the DA’s investigation and Trump does not end up as one. They are simply too entangled factually and legally in the attempt to use fake electors and other means to overturn the Georgia election results.” (Giuliani has denied wrongdoing.)
Willis launched her investigation into Team Trump after reports emerged that the ex-president had called Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, and demanded he “find” additional votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory there. During that call, Trump told Raffensperger, “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” before allegedly threatening the local official for refusing his request. Throughout the investigation, Trump has repeatedly attacked Willis, as is the case with anyone who has ever had the temerity to look into his deeply shady, potentially illegal behavior. On social media, he called her a “young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat…who is presiding over one of the most Crime Ridden and Corrupt places in the USA.” Without mentioning them by name, at a January 2022 rally, he dubbed her and other prosecutors “vicious, horrible people,” telling supporters, “If these radical, vicious, racist prosecutors do anything wrong or illegal, I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protest we have ever had in Washington, DC, in New York, in Atlanta, and elsewhere.”
Jim Jordan: America’s forefathers wanted Congress to be a shit-show dumpster fire
Early Saturday morning, Kevin McCarthy finally became Speaker of the House after losing the vote a whopping 14 times. Shortly before McCarthy’s long week of humiliation ended, Mike Rogers, a longtime ally, was restrained by a colleague after he aggressively lunged toward Matt Gaetz, presumably in the hopes of knocking the Florida congressman’s lights out, given that Gaetz had been leading the fight against McCarthy. The incident was clearly emblematic of what an ungovernable group of clowns the GOP has become, putting a fine point on the entire week. But according to Representative Jim Jordan and his utterly vast knowledge of US history, it’s actually what the founding fathers were hoping to have happen when they were birthing this country all those years ago.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, the Ohio lawmaker was asked by host Shannon Bream, “How do you convince Americans who watched this play out, including this moment [between Rogers and Gaetz]…that Republicans, your party, can now govern?” His response? “Sometimes democracy’s messy. But I would argue that’s exactly how the founders intended it. They wanted real debate, real input from all people, and then you get a decision. Whether it’s one vote or 15 votes, Kevin McCarthy is still Speaker of the House. I’ve seen all kinds of games go into extra innings and overtime. That’s just how it works.”
