An Atlanta grand jury handed up indictments amid a local prosecutor’s probe over former President Donald Trump’s efforts to undo his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
The indictments in Fulton County Superior Court weren’t immediately released on Monday night after they were presented to a judge for his signature in a crowded courtroom after hours. The judge reviewed the indictments in open court without revealing any details to the assembled reporters about the defendants or the charges.
The New York Times reported that the indictments were related to the Trump case, while CNN reported a grand jury returned 10 indictments. The charges were expected to be released by the county clerk’s office later Monday.
After the grand jury handed up the indictments to Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, he reviewed the documents and sent them to the county clerk’s office to process for public release. CNN reported that the process could take as long as three hours.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has spent the last two-and-a-half years investigating a two-month pressure campaign on election officials that Trump and his allies conducted after he lost the 2020 race to President Joe Biden. An indictment of Trump would be his fourth this year, even as he holds a commanding lead in polls over his Republican rivals seeking the GOP presidential nomination next year.
Several subpoenaed witnesses appeared at the courthouse and were prepared to testify in secret to the grand jury. Former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan confirmed he testified, telling CNN that the appearance was “intense.”
Former state lawmaker Bee Nguyen also posted online she testified to the grand jury. Independent journalist George Chidi posted online about being summoned on Monday, but by the evening he shared that his testimony wasn’t needed.
Multiple reporters spotted Gabe Sterling, a top official in the secretary of state’s office at the courthouse, but it wasn’t confirmed if he testified.
--With assistance from Megan Howard.
(Updates with details of testimony on Monday)
Author: Erik Larson, David Voreacos and Zoe Tillman
