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THE PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATING whether former US president Donald Trump meddled in the 2020 US election in Georgia has called for “heightened security” as she predicted a decision on potential charges during the summer.
Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis wrote to law-enforcement bodies saying she expects to announce decisions between 11 July and 1 September.
She said she wanted to give time to coordinate with local, state and federal agencies “to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public”.
“Open-source intelligence has indicated the announcement of decisions, in this case, may provoke a significant public reaction,” she wrote in the letter, adding some could involve “acts of violence that will endanger the safety of our community”.
Letters were sent to the Fulton County sheriff, Atlanta’s police chief and the head of the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed receipt of a letter and said it would “continue to monitor the potential for unrest throughout our city”.
“We stand ready to respond to demonstrations to ensure the safety of those in our communities and those exercising their First Amendment right, or to address illegal activity, should the need arise,” a department statement said.
The district attorney has been investigating whether Trump and his allies broke any laws in a bid to overturn his narrow election loss to Democrat rival Joe Biden in Georgia.
The investigation was opened in early 2021, shortly after a recording of a phone call between Trump and Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger – in which the then-president suggested the state’s top elections official could help “find” the votes needed – became public.
The scope of the investigation has expanded far beyond that call.
Trump, who has announced a 2024 bid for the White House, was indicted by a grand jury in March on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
In Washington, federal grand juries are investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election and the potential mishandling of classified documents by Trump at his Florida estate.
Trump’s legal team in Georgia said in a statement the announcement to law enforcement “does nothing more than set forth a potential timetable” for decisions.
I always thought this was the one that will have him eating porridge.
@ggg:
@ggg:
@ggg: yup. Of all of the cases against him this is the most likely to end up with a prison sentence. Easy to prove and automatic prison time.
They are really pushing for civil war over there! the democratics want to be careful what they wish for.
Where’s the charges for the people who repressed the hunter Biden laptop fiasco, and lying calling it a “Russian misinformation” all in the run up too the last election because it would have been detrimental impact on Biden campaign! Election meddling at its finest by the democratics and intelligence services..
@I9AQcjXs: Are you saying that Republicans aren’t democratic?
@I9AQcjXs: it’s not the democrats prosecuting him. Hunter biden is a private citizen and a republican led oversight commitee has admitted there is nothing illegal on the laptop. It is a nothing burger, as they say. If this is election meddling, what do you call trump asking georgia to ‘find’ 11k votes?
@I9AQcjXs: so Trump shouldn’t have to abide by the law because it might offend some of his lunatic supporters? Also you are way behind the time regarding Hunters laptop which even the GOP say is a nothing burger. Not to mention that he isn’t running for public office and never has. But you know who was running for office? Hillary Clinton, when her email story was announced the week before the election. But you’re not interested in facts are you? That’s why you didn’t know that the Laptop story has been done to death and proven to be much ado about nothing.
I’m not a supporter of trump but the alleged crimes committed in 2016 and 2020 are coming to the forefront now with prosecutions. He could have been prosecuted at the time but all this coming up now when he is running for election shows a pure political motivation to these allegations.
@Ciaran: can’t prosecute a sitting president, he was in office between those years. Also this particular offence didn’t happen until the end of 2020. Prosecutions in the USA take as long as they do here.
Finally an article on Niall Collins but surprise surprise, comments once again closed. Why do the journal feel he needs protecting from criticism or questions? None of this debacle is before the courts yet. Cowardly journal staff.
@ggg: Their website. Their terms and conditions. Their legal liability for content, including comments posted. I’m sure Their are plenty of forums on which you could comment online about that news story.
@Numinous20111: what legal liability? Nothing is before the courts. I’m thinking you may not know what legal liability is my friend.
@ggg: It’s commonsense, not cowardice. We have strong libel laws in Ireland and the commentators on here aren’t exactly known for their ability to fact check what they’re posting.
@The Big Baba: I can’t reply directly to ggg, so have to reply by means of your own comment. In your eagerness to comment, you are forgetting
or ignoring that comments here can be retrospectively relevant if legal process commences. Think also of why Fox News fired Carlson yesterday.
The amount of sad deluded people that refuse to accept how the lying treacherous orange thing is playing them for every penny he can.
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: nothing burger”
have your say