by ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Monday that she will announce impeachment decisions stemming from her investigation into possible interference in the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and his allies in mid-July.
Willis said the charging decisions will be released during the state Superior Court’s fourth term, which begins July 11 and ends September 1.
The timeline is the clearest Willis has given regarding possible indictments since he said in January that an announcement was “imminent.”
“In the near future, I will announce the impeachment decisions resulting from the investigation my office has been conducting into possible criminal interference in the administration of the 2020 Georgia general election,” Willis wrote in a letter Monday to the sheriff of Georgia. Fulton County, Patrick Labat.
He added that during that time period, “the need for vigilance will increase.”
“Open source intelligence has indicated that the announcement of the decisions in this case may elicit a significant public reaction,” Willis wrote. “We have seen in recent years that some may step 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 up to us to prepare.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported in the Willis letter.
A source familiar with the investigation previously told NBC News that law enforcement officials were “watching” how Trump’s arraignment unfolded in Manhattan, including security measures and protests. The district attorney there, Alvin Bragg, has been the subject of “several hundred” threats in the lead up to and aftermath of impeaching the former president.
Trump pleaded not guilty in the New York case and accused Willis, a Democrat, of participating in a politically motivated witch hunt with the Fulton County investigation.
The Georgia Grand Jury that Willis enlisted for investigating possible interference in the 2020 election by Trump and his allies decided to recommend indicting more than a dozen people, the foreman of the jury said in February, a list he said “could” include the former president.
“There are certainly names you will recognize, yes. There are also names you may not recognize,” the chairwoman, Emily Kohrs, said on NBC News’ “Nightly News.”
