What the partial release of the Georgia grand jury report means

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SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE February 16, 2023 View in browser What the partial release of the Georgia grand jury report means Fulton County's grand jury investigation into Donald Trump and his legal team's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia has concluded with recommendations for perjury charges against one or more witnesses who submitted testimony. The nine-page document has been long awaited in the world of politics as it was set to be the first sign of whether Donald Trump and his allies will face serious legal consequences for attempts to overturn the election results in the key state. Thursday's release is likely to be the entirety of the document that will see the light of day; a judge has ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis is not required to release the full document. There are key omissions from the document, and, notably, prosecutors are not actually bound to follow the recommendations from the grand jury. It's just one of several investigations surrounding the former president. A special counsel has been appointed by the Justice Department to determine whether Mr Trump will be charged criminally at the federal level over the January 6 attack and efforts to subvert the election results, and he also faces a parallel investigation resulting from his retention of presidential records, some classified, at Mar-a-Lago. More than two years since voters in Georgia decided to serve Mr Trump an upset defeat, his allies are still claiming that the 2020 election was rigged in states across the country, including Georgia. But they had their shot – once again – to prove their case before Fulton County's grand jury, and it didn't go so well. "The Grand jury heard extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts, and State of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming that such fraud took place. We find by unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election," reads the report.   – John Bowden   Reading list Gustaf Kilander: 'Give me a break, man': Biden refuses to take questions over China after balloon statement Josh Marcus: Sarah Palin encourages DeSantis not to run in 2024: 'Stay governor for a bit longer' Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our welcome offer when you join today. What else you need to know today President Joe Biden said the trio of objects shot down by US fighters over the last week were most likely "balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions" and not linked to the Chinese espionage program responsible for a larger airship that traveled through US airspace earlier this month. Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Mr Biden said US and Canadian forces "acted in accordance with established parameters for determining how to deal with and fight aerial objects in US airspace" and recommended that the objects be shot down. He said he heeded the recommendations and ordered them downed "due to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic, and because we could not rule out the surveillance risk of sensitive facilities" "Our military and the Canadian military are seeking to recover the debris so we can learn more about these three objects. Our intelligence committee is still assessing all three incidences. They're reporting to me daily and will continue the urgent efforts to do so and I will communicate that to the Congress. We don't yet know exactly what these three objects were. But nothing nothing right now suggests they were related to China's spy balloon program, or they were surveillance vehicles from other any other country," he said. Pennsylvania's new senator checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in order to receive treatment for "severe" clinical depression, his office said on Thursday. John Fetterman has experienced periods of depression throughout his life, the statement continued, which added that he was receiving treatment. "Last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression. While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," his office said. The senator "will soon be back to himself", the statement concluded. 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