All 16 Georgia fake Trump electors are 'targets' of Fulton County investigation, may face criminal charges


Seventeen Georgia Republicans who participated in a fake electors scheme intended to help former President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 loss are "targets" of a special grand jury investigation in Fulton County and could face criminal charges, documents filed Tuesday confirmed. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impaneled the grand jury to investigate "a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere."
Sixteen of the Trump supporters who received June 28 letters informing them they are targets of the investigation had signed sworn statements on Dec. 14, 2020, proclaiming themselves Georgia's "duly elected and qualified" electors, even though Trump lost the state and President Biden's electors were certified. The 17th target, state Sen. Brandon Beach (R), allegedly facilitated communication between the fake electors and the Trump campaign.
"A 'target' letter is often the final step a local or federal prosecutor will take to inform an individual they are likely to be indicted before formal charges are brought," The Washington Post explains. Some legal experts, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, say the fake GOP electors "may have violated election fraud and forgery statutes, among others."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lawyers for 11 of the 16 phony Trump electors filed a motion Tuesday to block the grand jury's "unreasonable and oppressive" subpoenas. The GOP electors were "abruptly" and "wrongfully converted" from "witnesses who were cooperating voluntarily" to targets, their lawyers claimed, and this status shift was "as best, a publicity stunt" to "force them to publicly invoke their rights" against self-incrimination.
The grand jury has also subpoenaed a raft of Trump allies, and at least two of them — Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — are fighting the subpoenas in court, arguing their inquiries into the 2020 election are protected by the Constitution's Speech and Debate clause.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
September 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include profiting from authoritarianism, and the National Guard entering the CDC
-
Should Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights?
Talking Point With calls now coming from Labour grandees as well as Nigel Farage and the Tories, departure from the ECHR 'is starting to feel inevitable'
-
5 outspoken cartoons about Epstein survivors taking center stage
Cartoons Artists take on cover-ups, Trump surrounded, and more
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC