May 6, 2023

Rough News for Trump: A Georgia Prosecutor Has Bagged Eight Fake Electors

Court filings show Fani Willis moving the ball forward with slow strokes.

This week, the ex-president golfed at his Irish resort.Brian Lawless/AP

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On Friday, Fulton county prosecutors revealed in court documents that they have reached immunity deals with eight Georgia Republicans who pledged to represent Trump in the electoral college even though he lost the state. The development strongly suggests that these local party activists who participated in the 2020 election’s false elector scheme have been willing to provide details relevant to charging the higher-ups who orchestrated it.

While the federal investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith into Trump and illegal efforts he backed to keep himself in power may ultimately uncover a wider array of crimes, the possibility of charges by Fani Willis, the Atlanta-based district attorney leading the Georgia investigation, has been looming for months. 

Willis told a judge way back in January that “decisions are imminent,” suggesting a timeline that has not borne out, to the dismay of Georgians eager to see Trump or his team held legally accountable for pushing to subvert the state’s democratic will. In February, the foreperson of a grand jury empaneled in the case told the New York Times they had finished their work and recommended indictments against a “list” of people—and suggested it included the ex-president. Several weeks ago, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke news of a letter Willis sent to local law enforcement agencies that seemed to confirm she’d be handing down charges in the case, by warning them to prepare for related protests. The letters gave a specific, but broad timeframe for an announcement: between July 11 and September 1.

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