SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Former U.S. President Donald Trump walks to his vehicle at the Iowa State Fair on August 12, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa.
(Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
'This Is Witness Tampering': Trump Tells Former Georgia Official Not to Testify
"This is blatantly unlawful stuff."
Aug 14, 2023
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told Georgia's former lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, not to testify before the Fulton County grand jury that is set to hear evidence this week in the state's 2020 election interference case.
"I am reading reports that failed former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff [ sic] Duncan, will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldn't," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I barely know him but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia."
Legal experts argued that Trump's post, published as the Fulton County grand jury prepared to convene to hear from Duncan and others, amounts to witness tampering.
"This is witness tampering and obstruction of justice," wrote Glenn Kirschner, an NBC News legal analyst. "Trump indicates he knows a witness is about to testify before the grand jury, and he states—unequivocally and directly—'he shouldn't.'"
"I expect we’ll see these crimes charged," Kirschner added.
Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, agreed, writing, "This is blatantly unlawful stuff."
Trump is expected to face charges in the Georgia election probe as soon as Tuesday. The election law charges that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is reportedly considering include criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
According to CNN, "Atlanta-area prosecutors investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia are in possession of text messages and emails directly connecting members of Donald Trump's legal team to the early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County."
"Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen individuals when her team presents its case before a grand jury," CNN reported Sunday. "Several individuals involved in the voting systems breach in Coffee County are among those who may face charges in the sprawling criminal probe."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told Georgia's former lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, not to testify before the Fulton County grand jury that is set to hear evidence this week in the state's 2020 election interference case.
"I am reading reports that failed former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff [ sic] Duncan, will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldn't," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I barely know him but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia."
Legal experts argued that Trump's post, published as the Fulton County grand jury prepared to convene to hear from Duncan and others, amounts to witness tampering.
"This is witness tampering and obstruction of justice," wrote Glenn Kirschner, an NBC News legal analyst. "Trump indicates he knows a witness is about to testify before the grand jury, and he states—unequivocally and directly—'he shouldn't.'"
"I expect we’ll see these crimes charged," Kirschner added.
Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, agreed, writing, "This is blatantly unlawful stuff."
Trump is expected to face charges in the Georgia election probe as soon as Tuesday. The election law charges that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is reportedly considering include criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
According to CNN, "Atlanta-area prosecutors investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia are in possession of text messages and emails directly connecting members of Donald Trump's legal team to the early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County."
"Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen individuals when her team presents its case before a grand jury," CNN reported Sunday. "Several individuals involved in the voting systems breach in Coffee County are among those who may face charges in the sprawling criminal probe."
From Your Site Articles
- As Trump Surrenders in Georgia, Groups Warn of Continued Threat to Democratic Institutions ›
- Groups Say Trump Trial Juries Must Be Protected From Right-Wing Threats ›
- Georgia Judge Won't Toss Trump Charges Under First Amendment ›
- Georgia Appeals Court Halts Trump Election Interference Case | Common Dreams ›
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told Georgia's former lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, not to testify before the Fulton County grand jury that is set to hear evidence this week in the state's 2020 election interference case.
"I am reading reports that failed former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff [ sic] Duncan, will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldn't," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I barely know him but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia."
Legal experts argued that Trump's post, published as the Fulton County grand jury prepared to convene to hear from Duncan and others, amounts to witness tampering.
"This is witness tampering and obstruction of justice," wrote Glenn Kirschner, an NBC News legal analyst. "Trump indicates he knows a witness is about to testify before the grand jury, and he states—unequivocally and directly—'he shouldn't.'"
"I expect we’ll see these crimes charged," Kirschner added.
Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, agreed, writing, "This is blatantly unlawful stuff."
Trump is expected to face charges in the Georgia election probe as soon as Tuesday. The election law charges that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is reportedly considering include criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
According to CNN, "Atlanta-area prosecutors investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia are in possession of text messages and emails directly connecting members of Donald Trump's legal team to the early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County."
"Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen individuals when her team presents its case before a grand jury," CNN reported Sunday. "Several individuals involved in the voting systems breach in Coffee County are among those who may face charges in the sprawling criminal probe."
From Your Site Articles
- As Trump Surrenders in Georgia, Groups Warn of Continued Threat to Democratic Institutions ›
- Groups Say Trump Trial Juries Must Be Protected From Right-Wing Threats ›
- Georgia Judge Won't Toss Trump Charges Under First Amendment ›
- Georgia Appeals Court Halts Trump Election Interference Case | Common Dreams ›
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.