Georgia was one of seven states where the Donald Trump campaign conspired with local GOP officials to arrange for phony electors to meet while election challenges were being pursued in the courts, but at least of those eight bogus electors have accepted immunity from the prosecutor building a legal case against the 2020 election loser.
Several Georgia Republicans who convened in December 2020 to declare Donald Trump the winner of the presidential contest, despite his loss in the state, have accepted immunity deals from prosecutors investigating alleged election interference.
According to defense attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow, who represents the electors, eight out of the 16 Republicans have been offered immunity by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis.
The immunity deals are contingent on the electors testifying truthfully in the ongoing investigation into efforts by Trump, his campaign, and his allies to cheat in an effort to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia.
While the most damning evidence that Trump tampered with the election is the hourlong phone call, in which the loser pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the 2020 election results, Willis has focused her investigation on the meeting of bogus electors on December 14, 2020.
Trump told Raffensperger, “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” and he made other phone calls to state officials that detailed his campaign’s potential involvement in an unauthorized breach of election equipment.
The investigation aims to determine if the appointment of alternate electors and the creation of elector certificates violated the law, and if there was a coordinated effort by Trump’s campaign to overturn Biden’s victory.
The decision to offer immunity to some of the electors has raised questions about the scope of Willis’s investigation. The electors who accepted immunity did so without any obligation to provide incriminating evidence in return.
They have consistently maintained their innocence and denied any knowledge of criminal activity among the electors.
However, some key figures, such as David Shafer, the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, and Shawn Still, a state senator who played a role in admitting electors to the meeting, remain targets of the investigation.
The dispute between prosecutors and defense lawyers has been ongoing since last summer.
Defense attorney Debrow has accused prosecutors of misrepresenting the facts and making false allegations. In response, prosecutors have sought to block Debrow’s participation in the case, citing ethical concerns.
The back and forth between the two sides has intensified, with allegations of unethical conduct and conflicts of interest.
The investigation led by Willis may result in criminal charges, and she has indicated that a charging decision will be announced between July 11 and September 1.
The case has garnered significant attention due to its implications for Trump and prominent Republicans like Rudy Giuliani and Senator Lindsey Graham.
The ongoing legal battles and the offer of immunity to some electors have further complicated the investigation, leaving uncertainties about the potential outcome and the crimes under scrutiny.