New Georgia Grand Jury Sworn In To Consider Criminal Charges Against Trump

The grand jury in Georgia that will decide whether to indict former President Donald Trump and his allies on criminal charges related to their efforts to overturn the 2020 election was officially sworn in Tuesday afternoon.

The members of the new grand jury were picked over the course of a three-hour selection process in front of Judge Robert McBurney in Atlanta, according to ABC News.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has reportedly indicated in letters to local law enforcement officials that indictments in the case could happen between July 31st and August 18th, according to CBS News.

More than half of the so-called Georgia Republican “fake electors” who convened to declare Donald Trump the winner of the state in the 2020 presidential election have accepted immunity deals from Fulton County prosecutors.

A new court filing on Friday stated that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) extended “actual immunity offers to eight” of the 16 alternate electors represented by attorney Kimberly Debrow, guaranteeing that they “will not be charged with crimes if they testify truthfully,” The Washington Post reported.

The New York Times reported that one additional elector represented by a different attorney also had an immunity deal already in place.

If Trump is indicted in the case, it will be the third criminal case that he faces charges in after he was charged earlier this year by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over alleged hush money that was paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels. The case out of New York has been widely criticized, including by the political Left, as being weak and politically-motivated.

The most serious case that Trump faces criminal charges in involves his retention of classified national defense documents that were recovered during an FBI raid last August after the former president repeatedly refused to hand over all the documents that federal officials sought back from him. He was not charged over any of the documents that he did return, meaning that he likely would not have been charged if he had simply returned all of the requested documents.

The former president also faces potential federal criminal charges in a separate investigation over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump has maintained that he is innocent in all four instances.

Related: Fulton County Prosecutors Have Another Recording Of Trump Pressuring Georgia House Speaker To Overturn Election

Jim Jordan Unveils Budget Wishlist To Fight ‘Weaponized’ Federal Agencies

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) released on Tuesday a series of government funding recommendations that he says will hold the Biden administration “accountable” and protect civil liberties.

The wishlist of reforms came in the form of a letter to House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) as spending bills for the various government agencies make their way through Congress ahead of the September 30 deadline, which is the end of the fiscal year. Republicans have a slim majority in the House, meaning leadership can only afford to lose a couple of GOP votes without support from the Democrats to pass legislation, and they also have to contend with a Democrat-led Senate and President Joe Biden to avert a shutdown.

Bemoaning a surge in southern border encounters and release of migrants into the United States, Jordan said the judiciary panel “recommends prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used to implement the Biden Administration’s radical immigration policies.”

Jordan took aim at the FBI, which Republicans have accused of politicization, calling for appropriations bills to cut funding “that is not absolutely essential for the agency to execute its mission.” As a starting point, Jordan suggested “eliminating taxpayer funding for any new FBI headquarter facility and instead examining options for relocating the FBI’s headquarters outside of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.”

The chairman also said the committee recommends “tying funding for the FBI to specific policy changes — such as requiring the FBI to record interviews — that will promote accountability and transparency at the FBI.”

Another request is to have the Department of Justice (DOJ) appropriations bill contain language “prohibiting retaliation against FBI whistleblowers,” including prohibiting taxpayer dollars from going toward the salary of any official found to have retaliated against a whistleblower.

In order to protect free speech online, Jordan said the judiciary panel as well as his “Weaponization of the Federal Government” subcommittee want appropriations bills that explicitly block taxpayer funds from being used for censorship and to classify speech as “so-called ‘mis-, dis-, or mal-information.'” In addition, there is a request to “eliminate taxpayer dollars” going to the State Department’s Global Engagement Center and “other governmental and non-governmental entities” that Jordan said are “engaged in speech suppression.”

The final request made by Jordan focused on the Second Amendment: “The Committee is also examining the Biden Administration’s attacks on fundamental Second Amendment rights at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). In two recent regulatory actions, the ATF has circumvented the will of Congress and flouted the Second Amendment. Accordingly, we recommend prohibiting taxpayer funds from being used to implement ATF radical regulations concerning pistol braces or so-called ‘ghost guns.'”

Jordan closed out his letter by noting that he enclosed an “initial list of suggested priorities” for fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills. He said Congress can use the “power of the purse” to “ensure that the federal agencies are working for the people of this country — not weaponized against them.” Jordan also said, “These proposals are just a beginning. As the 118th Congress progresses, the Committee and Select Subcommittee will continue to conduct oversight to inform legislative proposals that will uphold fundamental freedoms and secure American liberties.”

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