Donald Trump may soon have a lot more to worry about than his Senate impeachment trial. Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis announced Wednesday that prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results.
The probe will look into a Jan. 2 phone call Trump made to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which the president pressured him to “find” enough votes to help him reverse his narrow loss to Joe Biden in the state. The call to Raffensperger was just one part of Trump’s efforts to reverse his narrow loss in Georgia.
The probe was announced as House Managers presented their case for the impeachment of Trump. The Jan. 2 phone call was also cited in the article of impeachment passed by the House.
If Trump is convicted in the Senate trial, which seems unlikely, the worst sanction he would face is being barred from ever seeking public office again. The Georgia probe could result in prison time.
Willis, who is entering her second month in office, sent a letter to Raffensperger, Gov. Brian Kemp and other state officials requesting that they preserve documents relevant to the investigation..
“This letter is notice that the Fulton County District Attorney has opened an investigation into attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election,” Willis wrote in her letter.
Willis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that her office was best suited to handle the criminal investigation since other state investigative agencies have conflicts of interest as potential witnesses to the conduct under investigation.
In her letter, Willis wrote:
“This investigation includes, but is not limited to, potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration.”
The letter did not mention Trump by name, but a state official told the New York Times that it is related to the president’s efforts to overturn the results of Georgia’s election in which Joe Biden defeated Trump by just under 12,000 votes,
The probe will also look into events relating to the abrupt resignation in January of Atlanta’s federal prosecutor Byung J. Pak. Pak resigned after Trump complained to DOJ officials that Pak was not pursuing Trump’s claims of election fraud.
In her letter, Willis said subpoenas might be issued when the next Fulton County grand jury convenes in March. Fulton County encompasses most of Atlanta.
Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, might also be ensnared in the probe because he appeared before the state Senate and made false claims that the election had been stolen from Trump.
Georgia now becomes he second state where Trump faces a criminal investigation. In New York, Trump faces a criminal fraud inquiry into the financial activities of the Trump Organization by Manhattan D.A. Cyrus R. Vance.
Trump also could potentially face charges in Washington, D.C. for inciting the rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6.