ATLANTA (AP) 鈥 Former President Donald Trump and his allies have been put on notice by a prosecutor, but the warning didn鈥檛 come from anyone at the Justice Department.
It was from a Georgia prosecutor who indicated she was likely to seek criminal charges soon in a two-year . In of a special grand jury鈥檚 report, Fulton County District Attorney argued in court last week that decisions in the case were 鈥渋mminent鈥 and that the report鈥檚 publication could jeopardize the rights of 鈥渇uture defendants.鈥
Though Willis, a Democrat, didn't mention Trump by name, her comments marked the first time a prosecutor in any of tied to the Republican former president has hinted that charges could be forthcoming. The remarks ratcheted anticipation that an investigation focused, in part, on Trump's call with Georgia's secretary of state could conclude before ongoing federal probes.
鈥淚 expect to see indictments in Fulton County before I see any federal indictments,鈥 said Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor.
Besides the Georgia inquiry, a special counsel is investigating Trump over his role in working with allies to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Trump had appeared to face the most pressing legal jeopardy from the probe into a cache of classified materials at his Florida resort, and that threat remains. But that case , at least politically, by the recent discovery of classified records at President Delaware home and at a Washington office. The Justice Department tapped a separate special counsel to investigate that matter.
Willis opened her office鈥檚 investigation shortly after the release of a recording of a Jan. 2, 2021, between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In that conversation, the then-president suggested that Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, could 鈥渇ind鈥 the votes needed to overturn Trump鈥檚 narrow election loss in the state to Biden, a Democrat.
鈥淎ll I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,鈥 Trump said on the call.
Since then, the investigation鈥檚 scope has broadened considerably, encompassing among other things: a slate of Republican , phone calls by Trump and others to Georgia officials in the weeks after the 2020 election, and unfounded allegations of widespread election fraud made to state lawmakers.
In an interview, Trump insisted he did 鈥渁bsolutely nothing wrong鈥 and that his phone call with Raffensperger was 鈥減erfect.鈥 He said he felt 鈥渧ery confident鈥 that he would not be indicted.
鈥淪he鈥檚 supposed to be stopping violent crime, and that鈥檚 her job,鈥 Trump said of Willis. 鈥淣ot to go after people for political reasons, that did things absolutely perfectly.鈥
It is unclear how Willis' case will impact the Justice Department's probes or what contact her team has had with federal investigators. Justice Department prosecutors have been circumspect in discussing their investigations, offering little insight into how or when they might end.
But Willis' comments indicate that the Georgia investigation is on a path toward resolution 鈥 with charges or not 鈥 on a timetable independent of what the Justice Department is planning to do, legal experts said.
Cunningham, the Georgia State professor, said that Willis鈥 comments implied that the special grand jury鈥檚 report contained detail about people who the panel and Willis believe should, at minimum, be further investigated.
鈥淪he wouldn鈥檛 be talking about the release of the report creating prejudice to potential future defendants unless she saw in the report peoples鈥 names who she saw as potential future defendants,鈥 he added.
Attorney General in November tapped , a former public corruption prosecutor, to act as special counsel overseeing investigations into Trump鈥檚 actions leading up to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, and into his possession of hundreds of classified documents at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Though Smith and his team of prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas, he has not revealed when his investigation might conclude or who might be a target.
Garland has declined to discuss the probes, saying only that 鈥渘o person is above the law鈥 and that there aren鈥檛 separate rules for Democrats and Republicans.
FBI agents recently searched Biden's Wilmington, Delaware, home, finding six items containing classified documents, the White House said. Further muddling the Justice Department鈥檚 calculus: Classified records were at the Indiana home of Trump's vice president, Mike Pence.
Public disclosures about Willis鈥 case are the result, to some degree, of the of the Georgia proceedings.
Willis in January of last year a special grand jury to help her investigation, citing the need for its subpoena power to compel the testimony of witnesses who otherwise wouldn鈥檛 talk to her. She said in a letter to Fulton County鈥檚 chief judge that her office had received information indicating a 鈥渞easonable probability鈥 that the 2020 election in Georgia 鈥渨as subject to possible criminal disruptions.鈥
The county鈥檚 superior court judges voted to , and the panel was . The grand jurors heard from 75 witnesses and reviewed evidence collected by prosecutors and investigators. Among the witnesses who testified were former New York mayor and Trump lawyer , U.S. Sen. of South Carolina and such Georgia state officials as and .
lacked the authority to issue an indictment, but its report is presumed to include recommendations for further action, possibly including potential criminal charges.
The special grand jury was after wrapping up its work and finalizing a report on its investigation. The grand jurors recommended the report be made public.
News organizations, including The Associated Press, argued for the report to be released. At , Willis said that a decision was looming on whether to seek an indictment and that she opposed releasing the report because she wanted to ensure 鈥渢hat everyone is treated fairly and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly, it is not appropriate at this time to have this report released."
Attorneys for witnesses and others identified as targets have insisted that Willis is driven by politics rather than by legitimate concerns that crimes were committed. Among other things, they pointed to her public statements and initial willingness to speak to print and television news outlets.
Danny Porter, a Republican who served as district attorney in neighboring Gwinnett County for nearly three decades, said Willis has been navigating unfamiliar territory. Special grand juries are relatively rare in Georgia, and the law doesn鈥檛 provide much guidance for prosecutors, he said.
Even so, Porter said, it appeared Willis had not crossed any ethical or legal red lines that would call into question the integrity of the investigation.
鈥淧rocedurally,鈥 he said, 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen anything that made me go, 鈥極h, jeez, I wouldn鈥檛 have done that.鈥欌
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Tucker reported from Washington. AP writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
