Aired on April 25, 2023
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – A letter written by Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis shows she will announce this summer the results of her investigation into 2020 election interference against former President Donald Trump and others .
In a letter to Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat, Willis asked him to prepare for "increased security and preparation" as she predicted his announcement "could provoke significant public backlash."
In the letter, Willis said she would announce possible criminal charges between July 11 and September 1, sending one of the strongest signals yet that she is about to try to secure an indictment against Trump and his supporters.
“I'm not sure of the strategic value of this letter,” says former DeKalb County prosecutor and current law professor J. Tom Morgan.
Morgan talks about a letter obtained by the I-Team and written by Willis to the Fulton County sheriff. Willis writes about the need for additional security as she announces the results of her investigation into Donald Trump.
Morgan says what he calls an unusual letter conveys a clear message:
"It was the prosecutor's way of announcing to the world that she was going to indict Mr. Trump," Morgan theorized.
For approximately eight months, numerous political leaders testified before a special Fulton County grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump or others illegally interfered in Georgia's 2020 presidential election .
Last month, the grand jury completed its work and "voted to recommend the release of its report."
After hearing arguments from media lawyers and Fulton County prosecutors for and against releasing the report, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney – who oversaw the grand jury – ordered that most of the report would remain sealed while the criminal investigation into Trump and others continued.
/"It's scary to judge your case in the press/," Morgan said.
Today, this private letter written to Labatt has become very public. In it, Willis told the sheriff that she would announce her "charging decisions/" once she completed her ongoing investigation into former President Donald Trump and others for interference in the presidential election of 2020.
In the letter, Willis warned the sheriff that the announcement would come after a Fulton County grand jury meets July 11-Sept. 1 and could lead to "provoking significant public backlash." She wanted the sheriff to have "enough time to prepare" to "protect the public."
When asked why the prosecutor would write this letter, Morgan replied: "It's a surprising way to make this announcement. If she really wanted to increase security, she didn't need to write a letter./ "
According to him, a simple phone call would have been enough.
“My guess, and this is just a guess, is that it's a way of telling potential defendants that it's time to make a deal,” said GSU law professor Clark Cunningham.
Cunningham believes the timing of sending the letter could indicate that Willis is offering potential defendants in the case, including alternate or bogus voters who voted for Trump, time to decide whether to cooperate and avoid possible prosecution.
“They may choose to cooperate and provide information, which could open the case,” he said.
Trump's team of Atlanta lawyers, Drew Findling, Jessica Little and Marissa Goldberg, released the following statement:
The public release of this letter does nothing other than present a potential timeline for decisions previously announced by the Fulton County Prosecutor's Office. On behalf of President Trump, we have filed a substantial legal challenge to which the Attorney's Office has not yet responded. We look forward to arguing in favor of this comprehensive motion that challenges the deeply flawed legal process and the ability of the conflicted prosecutor's office to make charging decisions.
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