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"If that (further revelations from Kohrs) occurs, then the question will be, do they have to start the grand jury process from scratch? The special grand jury heard testimony behind closed doors including from Trump allies such as Republican U.S. Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney steering the investigation, must decide whether to bring the panel's charging recommendations to a regular grand jury. "There still has to be an independent assessment by the district attorney and a subsequent grand jury who hands up the indictment," Weinstein said. "Any grand jury in Fulton County is going to have a huge diversity of viewpoints, politics and backgrounds," Cooke said.

☆ The forewoman of the Georgia grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election is now causing a headache for prosecutors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The foreperson in the special grand jury in Georgia investigating Trump has given a media tour. Emily Kohrs, the foreperson in the grand jury, has in recent days given candid interviews about the panel's work to outlets including CNN, MSNBC and The New York Times. Kohrs was authorised to speak to the media but not to discuss details of the grand jury report. However some legal experts say that Kohrs did not break any laws in the interviews, so has not compromised the investigation. Excerpts from the grand jury's report released earlier in February revealed few details, but found that the 2020 election in Georgia had not been marred by widespread fraud, as Trump claimed.

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The foreperson of a Georgia grand jury that investigated former U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state told media on Tuesday that the panel recommended multiple criminal indictments. The foreperson of the recently concluded Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury, Emily Kohrs, did not discuss specific charges that the grand jury in interviews with outlets including CNN and the New York Times. The special grand jury did not have the authority to issue indictments. Willis opened the special grand jury investigation shortly after Trump's January 2021 phone call to a state official asking him to "find" more votes to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory. Trump called Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and claimed falsely that the election results were fraudulent.

☆ It could take a decade to undo damage to the Republican Party caused by Fox News promoting election fraud claims, says former GOP official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

gov., Geoff Duncan, discussed Dominion's Fox News lawsuit. He accused the network of pushing election fraud claims that had damaged the GOP. Dominion's Fox News lawsuit alleges the network made claims that its executives knew were false. of Georgia Geoff Duncan said it would take a decade to undo the damage to the GOP caused by Fox News in allegedly promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Duncan has previously criticised Trump and his allies for promoting false election fraud claims.

The 51-year-old Fulton County district attorney will need that kind of tenacity if she decides to bring criminal charges against Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Willis, a Democrat, has taken an aggressive approach in the Trump investigation, subpoenaing some of his allies including Republican U.S. "It doesn't matter if you're rich, poor, Black, white, Democrat or Republican," Willis, who is Black, told CNN last year. Trump, who in November announced another run for the presidency in 2024, has denied wrongdoing and has called Willis a "Radical Left Prosecutor." To assist with the Trump investigation, Willis retained private Atlanta lawyer John Floyd, who wrote a guide on prosecuting state racketeering charges and worked with Willis on the teacher case.

☆ A year into the war, Russians in Georgia are viewed with suspicion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Bookshop owner Nikolai Kireev, who recently relocated from Russia to Georgia, is seen through a window in Tbilisi, Georgia, February 14, 2023. Kireev is one of hundreds of thousands of Russians who relocated to Georgia following the invasion in February and the announcement of a "partial mobilisation" in Russia in September. According to Georgia's interior ministry, 112,000 Russians were in the country, which has a population of 3.7 million, as of Nov. 1. While the emigrants have helped make Georgia, along with neighbouring Armenia - another popular destination for anti-war Russians - among the fastest growing economies in the world, many Georgians view them with suspicion. In the 1990s, Moscow backed separatists in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with the regions' ethnic Georgian populations expelled.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop to unveil his leadership team, at the South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 28, 2023. A Georgia grand jury looking into possible election meddling by former President Donald Trump said "one or more witnesses" may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to pursue criminal indictments in those cases. The special grand jury also found no significant fraud in Georgia's 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden, according to portions of the final report on its monthslong investigation unsealed Thursday. He added: "The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do." Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will determine whether to charge Trump or anyone else in the case.

☆ Georgia special grand jury wants criminal charges for witnesses it believes may have lied under oath in Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A special grand jury in Georgia found that "one or more witnesses" who appeared before it may have committed perjury. "The Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling." Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis empaneled the grand jury in May 2022 in Atlanta. Willis must now decide whether to bring indictmentsWhile the special grand jury had vast investigative powers, it didn't have the ability to bring indictments. Willis is now tasked with reviewing the special grand jury's report and deciding whether to bring it in front of an ordinary grand jury, which may decide whether to issue criminal charges.

☆ Parts of report on Trump's Georgia election meddling to be released
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Parts of a Georgia grand jury report on former U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state are due to be made public on Thursday, though a judge has ordered that any recommendations on criminal charges be kept secret. McBurney said the report includes "a roster of who should (or should not) be indicted." Trump, who has launched another run for the White House in 2024, has made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. At a January court hearing on whether to release the report, Willis said charging decisions were "imminent." Trump on Jan. 2, 2021, called Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, and repeated his false claims the election results were fraudulent.

That would be the kind of tenacity Willis, 51, would need if she decides to bring criminal charges against the Republican former president. Willis, a Democrat, has taken an aggressive approach in the Trump investigation, subpoenaing some of his allies including Republican U.S. To assist with the Trump investigation, Willis retained private Atlanta lawyer John Floyd, who wrote a guide on prosecuting state racketeering charges and worked with Willis on the teacher case. Willis told a judge on Jan. 24 that a decision on whether to bring criminal charges was "imminent" after a special grand jury completed its work. Portions of the grand jury's report are expected to be publicly released on Thursday, though any recommendations on criminal charges will remain sealed for now.

☆ Georgia judge to release parts of report on Trump's efforts to overturn election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoFeb 13 (Reuters) - Portions of a Georgia special grand jury's report on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the state's 2020 election should be publicly released, but any recommendations on criminal charges will remain sealed for now, a state judge ruled on Monday. But he declined for now to release the full report, including any recommendations as to whether individuals should be charged. He cited concern about the due process rights of witnesses or potential defendants who were not afforded a full chance to respond to allegations during the grand jury process. Trump was not subpoenaed and did not testify to the grand jury. The special grand jury was convened last year at Willis' request as an investigative tool, in part because it had the authority to subpoena witnesses.

☆ Jailed ex-Georgian leader appears in court by video link, seeking urgent medical treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Irakli GedenidzeTBILISI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Mikheil Saakashvili, the jailed former president of Georgia, appeared in court via video link on Wednesday to show how much weight he had lost while incarcerated, as associates renewed calls for him to be freed for urgent medical treatment. Citing medical records, Saakashvili's team says his weight has dropped from 115 kg (254 pounds) when he was jailed in October 2021 to 68 kg (150 pounds) at a check-up this week. Georgian authorities say he is feigning the gravity of his condition in order to secure early release. Zelenskiy decried Saakashvili's condition, saying Georgian authorities were trying to kill him. Saakashvili's supporters accuse the current Georgian government of adopting a pro-Kremlin position and of refusing to sufficiently back Ukraine.

It is not clear whether the special grand jury's findings will lead to criminal charges against Trump or anyone else for election interference. Members of the special grand jury voted to recommend the public release of their findings. In a statement on Monday, his Georgia-based legal team said the grand jury never subpoenaed Trump or asked him to appear voluntarily. The special grand jury had subpoena power to gather evidence and compel witness testimony but did not have the authority to issue indictments. If Willis determines that charges are warranted based on the findings, she could seek indictments from a regular grand jury.

☆ Atlanta DA doesn't want the public to see the special grand jury report into Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A special grand jury spent months investigating whether Trump and other officials criminally interfered in Georgia's 2020 election. In an Atlanta courthouse, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the report, from a special grand jury, should not be released "at this time." McBurney dissolved the special grand jury earlier this month. They typically sit for a maximum of two months, and would review the deposition transcripts and other evidence already gathered by the special grand jury. "That was the approach when she initiated the special grand jury last year."

☆ Georgia DA investigating Trump for 2020 election interference says charging 'decisions are imminent' after grand jury report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A consortium of media outlets has asked Judge Robert McBurney to make the report public, as the grand jury has recommended. "For future defendants to be treated fairly, it's not appropriate at this time to have this report released," she told McBurney. "We believe the statutory law, the case law, and the constitutional law supports the release of the special grand jury report right now," Clyde told the judge. The grand jury did not have the power to issue indictments in the case. He was never subpoenaed nor asked to come in voluntarily by this grand jury or anyone in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.

☆ Trump claims lawsuits are a conspiracy to 'keep him busy' ahead of 2024. He's the one making lawsuits political, judges say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Judges have repeatedly slammed Trump for using lawsuits "to advance a political narrative." "Keep Trump busy, because this is the way you defeat him, to keep him busy with litigation," Trump testified in the deposition, speaking in the third person. US District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks said that Trump has a "pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes." Trump's lawyers have to deal with his 2024 runIn the Trump lawsuits that haven't been dismissed, those trials may need to be scheduled around his 2024 campaign events. A trial for Carroll's claims is set for April of this year, and James' lawsuit against Trump is on track for October.

In an order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney dissolved the grand jury now that its work is complete and set a Jan. 24 hearing to determine whether the report will be made public. The special grand jury, which was convened at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, had subpoena power but not the ability to issue indictments. Willis will ultimately decide whether to bring charges against Trump or anyone else, though the jury's report could include recommendations. The grand jury heard testimony from numerous state officials, including Georgia Governor Brad Raffensperger, and key Trump advisers such as U.S. The investigation is one of several civil and criminal probes threatening Trump and his inner circle.

A special grand jury in Georgia that has been investigating former President Donald Trump and others for possible crimes related to their efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss in that state has completed its work, according to a court filing. The grand jury, which has been gathering evidence and hearing testimony in Atlanta, has written a final report on its findings. A court filing says that the grand jury voted to recommend that its report be published. Trump also faces a federal criminal investigation into his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden. Willis in January 2022 asked the chief judge of Fulton County to consider her request for empaneling a special purpose grand jury to investigate potential criminal interference in the 2020 election.

☆ GA Sec of State Brad Raffensperger said his office ghosted Lindsey Graham after the senator questioned the state's recount during the 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ghosted Sen. Lindsey Graham in November 2020. In a newly-released transcript, Raffensperger said Graham made an odd request during Georgia's recount. During the call with Graham, Raffensperger said that there hadn't been an outright ask to find additional votes like Trump requested in January 2021 but maintained the conversation was ominous. In January 2021, Raffensperger was asked by former President Donald Trump to "find" 11,780 votes to overturn the state's 2020 election results, a move which Raffensperger said led to months of death threats to him and his family. In an interview with Insider, Raffensperger maintained that election misinformation was the biggest threat to democracy in the US.

☆ Top talkers: These 20 lawmakers spoke the most on the House and Senate floors during the 117th Congress, including Rep. Buddy Carter and Sen. Marsha Blackburn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some lawmakers delivered dozens of floor speeches during the 117th Congress, C-SPAN's tracking showed. Most members don't usually hang out on the House or Senate floor to hear their colleagues' speeches. These House members spoke the most on the House floor during the 117th Congress. "It is my duty to use the House Floor as a vehicle to share their views, needs, and successes. That's because the Senate floor is typically where leaders make announcements to their members on legislation and nominations, among other topics.

☆ A 24-year-old barber moved to Atlanta a month ago and has already seen 'doors open,' showing why real-estate gurus say it's a top place to watch in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The National Association of Realtors named Atlanta the city to watch in 2023. While the national housing market is cooling, it's still thriving in Georgia's capital. Jay Martino, a barber who moved to Atlanta from Charleston, South Carolina. These factors will help Atlanta withstand the headwinds buffeting the national market, which is reeling after skyrocketing home prices and interest rates put home purchases out of reach. The trend suggests the local housing market can outperform the rest of the country in 2023, according to the National Association of Realtors.

☆ Publix grocery heiress was willing to give up to $3 million to the pro-Trump Jan. 6 rally, transcript reveals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Publix supermarket heiress Julie Fancelli was willing to contribute up to $3 million for the Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally, a transcript shows. The transcript released by the House select committee shows Fancelli gave money to Charlie Kirk, Alex Jones, and Roger Stone, the Washington Post reported. Documents indicate that Fancelli also paid for Trump advisor Roger Stone to fly into Washington DC for the rally, the Post reported. Trump used the rally to promote baseless claims of election fraud before a group of supporters stormed the Capitol with plans to stop President Joe Biden's election certification. When the House panel asked Fancelli if she intended for the rally to become violent, she said "no."

☆ A Georgia GOP congressman who backed Trump's election lies voted in the wrong county, but his spokesman insists it wasn't a 'devious ploy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A GOP Congressman in Georgia may have broken the state's voting law by casting ballots in the wrong county. Rep. Drew Ferguson voted in the county where he used to live during the 2022 election cycle. Ferguson has been an advocate against voter fraud since the 2020 election and backed Trump's election lies. "Congressman Ferguson resolved the issue, and proceeded to vote in Troup County for the primary, general, and run-off elections." "Congressman Ferguson is currently in the process of transitioning his residency to his new home in Pike County," the spokesman added.

☆ Rouble slumps to weakest vs dollar since May
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alexander Marrow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

By 0939 GMT, the rouble was down 2.5% against the dollar at 70.60 , after hitting 70.7550 earlier. The rouble has already lost more than 8% this week against the dollar and around 12% since a cap on Russian oil prices came into force. FALLING REVENUESThe rouble has been catching up with the weakening of Russia's balance of payments, said Rachel Ziemba, founder of Ziemba Insights. "In recent months, Russian export revenues have fallen as it sharply reduced gas exports and the EU oil embargo is limiting oil revenues." The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.6% higher at 2,131.8 points, rebounding from a near eight-week low hit in the previous session.

There's still not an exact picture of how much Bankman-Fried spent on politics this cycle. But based on what's already public, Bankman-Fried was one of the more prolific campaign donors this cycle, and his spending had a significant effect on midterm races. And his donations to the Protect Our Future super PAC helped shape some key Democratic primaries. The group spent $1.4 million to boost her in her Democratic primary, and then she cruised to victory in the less competitive November general election. Other top racesThe group spent at least $500,000 in support of Democratic candidates in nine other races (parenthesis indicate whether they won the general election, even if the spending happened in the primary):

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