Atlanta prosecutor appears to be moving closer to Trump investigation



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Mr Worley said he would bring forward the motion based on an external complaint filed with the state electoral board by John F. Banzhaf III, law professor at George Washington University.

Mr. Banzhaf and other legal experts say Mr. Trump’s appeals can go against at least three state criminal laws. The first is criminal solicitation to commit electoral fraud, which can be either a felony or an offense.

There is also a related conspiracy charge, which can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or felony. A third law, a misdemeanor offense, prohibits “intentional interference” in “the exercise of electoral functions” by another person.

“My feeling based on listening to the phone call is that they’ll probably see if they can get it to a grand jury,” said Joshua Morrison, a former senior Fulton County deputy attorney who previously worked in close collaboration with Mrs. Willis. “It clearly appears that a crime has been committed.”

He noted that Fulton County, which encompasses much of Atlanta, is not friendly territory for Mr. Trump if he were to face a grand jury there.

The investigation, if successful, would be the second known criminal investigation of Mr. Trump outside the federal pardon authority. He already faces a criminal investigation for fraud on his finances by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. Even Republican Gov. Brian Kemp does not have the authority to forgive at the level of the State, although it is not certain that it would. deliver a pardon anyway, given his frayed relationship with Mr. Trump. However, in Georgia pardons are administered by a state council.

Whether or not to indict the country’s 45th president would present a unique challenge for any district attorney. Ms Willis, who took office just days ago, is a seasoned prosecutor unfamiliar with the limelight and criticism. A graduate of Howard University and Emory University Law School in the Atlanta area, she is the first woman, and second African American, to serve as attorney general for Fulton County, the most populous in Georgia, with over one million residents.

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