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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 10 January 2023
Ga. special grand jury ends probe of Trump, 2020 election

By KATE BRUMBACK of election equipment in a
Associated Press rural south Georgia county.
ATLANTA (AP) — The spe- Lawyers for Giuliani con-
cial grand jury in Atlanta firmed in August that pros-
that has been investigat- ecutors told them he could
ing whether then-President possibly face criminal
Donald Trump and his al- charges in the case. The 16
lies committed any crimes Republican fake electors
while trying to overturn his have also been told they
2020 election loss in Geor- are targets of the investi-
gia has finished its work, gation, according to pub-
bringing the case closer to lic court filings. It is possible
possible criminal charges that others have also been
against Trump and others. notified they are targets of
Fulton County Superior the investigation.
Court Judge Robert McBur- Trump and his allies have
ney, who was overseeing consistently denied any
the panel, issued a two- wrongdoing, with the for-
page order Monday dis- mer president repeatedly
solving the special grand describing his call with
jury, saying it had complet- Raffensperger as “perfect”
ed its work and submitted a and dismissing Willis’ investi-
final report. The lengthy in- Former President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks at a rally Jan. 15, 2022, in Florence, Ariz. gation as a “strictly political
vestigation has been one of Associated Press Witch Hunt!”
several around the country ments at that hearing. failed to act to stop his sup- votes, which is one more Willis took the unusual step
that threaten legal peril for Since June, the special porters from attacking the than we have,” Trump had in January 2022 of request-
Trump as he mounts a third grand jury has heard testi- Capitol. The report con- said. “Because we won the ing that a special grand
bid for the White House. mony from dozens of wit- cluded an extraordinary state.” jury be seated to aid the in-
The decision whether to nesses, including numer- 18-month investigation into Since then it has become vestigation. She noted that
seek an indictment from a ous close Trump associates the former president and clear that Willis has been a special grand jury would
regular grand jury will be such as the former New the violent attack. focusing on several dif- have subpoena power
up to Fulton County District York mayor and Trump at- Special grand juries in ferent areas: phone calls which would help compel
Attorney Fani Willis. Willis torney, Rudy Giuliani, and- Georgia cannot issue in- made to Georgia officials testimony from witnesses
spokesperson Jeff DiSantis Sen. Lindsey Graham of dictments but instead can by Trump and his allies; false who were otherwise unwill-
said the office had no com- South Carolina. Assorted issue a final report recom- statements made by Trump ing to participate in the in-
ment on the completion of high-ranking Georgia of- mending actions to be associates before Georgia vestigation.
the panel’s work. ficials have also testified, taken. legislative committees; a In a letter asking the court
McBurney wrote in his or- among them Gov. Brian Willis opened the investiga- panel of 16 Republicans to impanel the special
der that the special grand Kemp and Secretary of tion in early 2021, shortly who signed a certificate grand jury, Willis wrote that
jury recommended that State Brad Raffensperger. after a recording surfaced falsely stating that Trump her office had received in-
its report be made public. Last month, the House of a Jan. 2, 2021, phone had won the state and that formation indicating a “rea-
He scheduled a hearing committee investigating call between Trump and they were the state’s “duly sonable probability” that
for Jan. 24 to determine the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrec- Raffensperger. During that elected and qualified” Georgia’s 2020 election,
whether all or part of the tion asserted in its final re- call, the president suggest- electors; the abrupt resig- including the presidential
report should be released port that Trump criminally ed the state’s top elections nation of the U.S. attorney race, “was subject to pos-
and said the district at- engaged in a “multi-part official could “find” the in Atlanta in January 2021; sible criminal disruptions.”
torney’s office and news conspiracy” to overturn the votes needed to overturn alleged attempts to pres- Her request was granted
outlets would be given an lawful results of the 2020 his loss in the state. sure a Fulton County elec- and the special grand jury
opportunity to make argu- presidential election and “I just want to find 11,780 tion worker; and a breach was seated in May.q

U.S. says Iran may be ‘contributing’ to

war crimes in Ukraine

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The the charge marked some down a road where their
Biden administration said of the sharpest U.S. rheto- weapons are being used to
Monday that Iran’s sale of ric against Iran since it be- kill civilians in Ukraine and to
lethal drones to Russia for gan providing weapons to try to plunge cities into cold
use in its ongoing invasion Russia to support its nearly and darkness, which from
of Ukraine means the coun- year-long war in Ukraine. It our point of view, puts Iran
try may be “contributing to comes as the U.S. and Eu- in a place where it could
widespread war crimes.” ropean partners are look- potentially be contributing
National Security Adviser ing to further ostracize both to widespread war crimes.”
Jake Sullivan leveled the nations in the court of pub- Sullivan pointed to Euro- White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks
charge against Iran on lic opinion, as they face pean and U.S. sanctions on during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington,
Monday as he spoke to challenges with physically Iran put in place after the Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.
reporters accompanying stopping the transfers of U.S. exposed Iran’s weap- Associated Press
President Joe Biden on a weapons on which Russia is ons sales to Russia last year transactions more difficult.” tually carrying them out
trip to Mexico. While it did increasingly reliant. Sullivan as examples of how they But he acknowledged that physically makes physical
not signal a policy shift, said Iran had chosen “to go are trying to “make these “the way that they are ac- interdiction a challenge.”q