The panel’s final report, which was completed in January, has been made public.
The panel released a comprehensive report on Friday, which revealed that Sen. Lindsey Graham and two other senators were among those proposed to be charged in the Fulton County DA’s election interference investigation.
A judge in Georgia released the findings of the panel, which were instrumental to District Attorney Fani Wills’ investigation into the attempts of Donald Trump and his associates to reverse the 2020 election results in the state, leading to the indictment of Trump along with 18 others last month.
Although not empowered to indict, the special purpose grand jury appointed in 2022 gathered evidence and made sealed recommendations for charging individuals in the case. Willis was not subject to their recommendations.
Graham defended his decision to make phone calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking for information about the 2020 election, speaking to reporters after the release of the report.
Graham, who was not implicated in the DA’s inquiry, declared that his actions were in line with his duties as a United States senator and Chairman of the Judiciary committee. “It’ll be interesting to hear some thoughts on how we can prevent the legal system from becoming too exploitative.”
Graham asserted his responsibility to ascertain the facts surrounding the 2020 election and reiterated that he ultimately voted to authenticate the election results in all states, including Georgia.
Graham affirmed that if it becomes politically, legally, or otherwise impossible for a U.S. senator to know how an election was conducted, “I will call people and ask them about it when the next election comes around.”
In Atlanta, former President Donald Trump engages in a conversation with reporters before departing from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on August 24, 2023.
The special purpose grand jury proposed charges against Graham (R-S.C.), David Perdue (r-Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (re-Lipton), but none were charged. The panel specifically recommended charging the three senators with the racketeering charge brought by the DA against all 19 defendants in her indictment.
The DA’s investigation did not result in any charges being recommended, including former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, senior adviser Boris Epshteyn and attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Lin Wood.
The 39 individuals recommended by the special purpose grand jury were among those charged. These individuals included several “fake electors” who later cooperated with the DA’s investigation.
Flynn’s lawyer, Jesse Binnall, contended that the report from the special grand jury was the work of a prosecutor with political motives, who sought to interfere in the 2024 election.
According to Binnall, the basis of this baseless witch hunt is not based on facts, law, or reality. He added that General Michael Flynn will continue to push for the truth, America First principles, and Donald Trump’s return to The White House in 2024.
Trump and 18 others were indicted by a separate regular grand jury last month, and all 19 have denied any wrongdoing.
Although the special purpose grand jury did not have the authority to indict anyone, Willis maintained that she had to use its subpoena power to compel witnesses who would not comply with the investigation.
Prosecutors stated that a 26-person panel had given testimony from more than 75 individuals, including Graham, Rudy Giuliani, and Mark Meadows, who are close Trump allies.
The DA received a sealed report in January, which contained charging recommendations from the special grand jury. Judge Robert McBurney instructed that most of the report remain under seal until the District Attorney completes her investigation, but permitted some parts of it to be released without any charging recommendation.
McBurney stated that the indictment filed last month eliminates the concerns of due process that were present during the sealing of most of the report.