Trump Elector Immunity Signals 'Significant Evidence': Ex-U.S. Attorney
At least eight of the false Georgia Republican electors who declared then-President Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election despite his certified loss in the state have accepted immunity deals offered by prosecutors as part of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation, according to recent court filings.
Willis has been leading the charge in the probe into possible election interference in her state, focused largely around a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the former president asked him to "find" enough votes to inch ahead of President Joe Biden in Georgia.
Another key component of Willis' investigation includes the group of Trump electors who met on December 14, 2020, to declare Trump the winner, despite Georgia Governor Brian Kemp having already certified Biden's victory. According to a court briefing filed on Friday by attorney Kimberly Debrow, who is representing the fake electors, Willis offered eight out of the 16 electors immunity deals last month in exchange for their testimony before a grand jury.
The immunity offers are likely a sign that the electors "have significant evidence to offer" in Willis' investigation, said former U.S. attorney Joyce Alene. Willis recently indicated that she will be ready to issue potential indictments related to her case as soon as July.
"Prosecutors don't hand out immunity deals just for nothing," Alene wrote on Twitter in response to a Washington Post report regarding the immunity offers. "This signals the cooperators have significant evidence to offer, whether about an internal Georgia conspiracy re fake slates of electors or a larger conspiracy involving [Trump's former Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows, [Trump's former lawyer Rudy] Giuliani, Trump, etc., remains to be seen."
After his loss to Biden, Trump and his allies planted fake GOP electors in seven states to declare the former president as the winner of the 2020 election, including in the state of Georgia. The author of Trump's elector scheme, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, previously testified before the special grand jury as part of Willis' investigation.
Georgia GOP Chairman David Schafer, who served as a Trump elector in his state, was not offered an immunity deal from Willis. Schafer is also facing a subpoena in the Department of Justice investigation into Trump's alleged plan to overturn the 2020 election.
Newsweek has emailed Trump's communications team for comment Friday evening.
Willis indicated in a letter to local law enforcement last month that her office will be announcing charging decisions resulting from her investigation during the Fulton County Superior Court's fourth term, which takes place from July 11 to September 1.
Trump, who became the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges—stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation into his finances—has repeatedly called Willis' investigation a hoax. The Georgia probe is one of several outstanding criminal investigations plaguing the former president as he attempts a third run for the White House in 2024.
