ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Monday that she'll announce charging decisions stemming from her probe into possible interference in the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and his allies as early as mid-July.
Willis said the charging decisions will be revealed during the state Superior Court’s fourth term, which begins July 11 and ends Sept. 1.
The timeline is the clearest that Willis has given about potential indictments since she said in January that an announcement was “imminent.”
“In the near future, I will announce charging decisions resulting from the investigation my office has been conducting into possible criminal interference in the administration of Georgia’s 2020 general election,” Willis wrote in a letter Monday to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat.
She said “the need for vigilance will increase” during that time period.
“Open-source intelligence has indicated the announcement of decisions in this case may provoke significant public reaction,” Willis wrote. “We have seen in recent years that some may go outside of public expressions of opinion that are protected by the First Amendment to engage in acts of violence that will endanger the safety of our community. As leaders, it is incumbent on us to prepare.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported Willis’ letter.
After she shared the timeframe for her decision, Willis added, "Please accept this correspondence as notice to allow you sufficient time to prepare the Sheriff's Office and coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public."
A spokesperson for the DA's office declined to comment.
A source familiar with the investigation had said law enforcement officials were “watching” how Trump’s arraignment played out in Manhattan, including security measures and protests. The district attorney there, Alvin Bragg, has been the subject of “several hundred” threats in the buildup to and aftermath of charging the former president.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in the New York case, and he accused Willis, a Democrat, of engaging in a politically motivated witch hunt with the Fulton County probe.
The Georgia grand jury that Willis enlisted to investigate possible interference in the 2020 election by Trump and his allies decided to recommend indicting over a dozen people, the foreperson said in February — a list she said “might” include Trump.
“There are certainly names that you will recognize, yes. There are names also you might not recognize,” the foreperson, Emily Kohrs said on NBC News’ “Nightly News.”
Trump is also being scrutinized by special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing dual probes into Trump’s actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and his failure to comply with a Justice Department subpoena demanding the return of government documents and possible mishandling of those documents.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in both of the federal probes.
