Georgia

Georgia Grand Jury’s Probe of Donald Trump Nears End

Published

2 years ago

December 17, 2022

Press Room

ATLANTA—A prison investigation into former President

Donald Trump

‘s efforts to overturn his election defeat in Georgia has produced a flurry of exercise within the final month, with a number of high-profile witnesses showing earlier than a particular grand jury that’s now nearing its finish, in line with an individual acquainted with the matter.

Whereas the panel in Atlanta can’t concern indictments, the 23 residents sitting on it are anticipated to write down a report on their findings, which might embody suggestions that indictments be introduced. That course of might prolong into subsequent yr, the particular person stated.

Fulton County District Lawyer

Fani Willis,

the Democrat main the investigation, has prevailed in a number of court docket circumstances introduced by Trump allies making an attempt to keep away from testifying earlier than the particular grand jury. Ms. Willis isn’t anticipated to concern a subpoena to Mr. Trump for his testimony, nevertheless, a risk she floated earlier within the yr.

Michael Flynn,

Mr. Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser, and Sen.

Lindsey Graham

(R., S.C.) each appeared earlier than the grand jury within the final month.

Rudy Giuliani,

a longtime adviser to Mr. Trump, testified this summer time. Mr. Trump’s closing chief of workers,

Mark Meadows,

was ordered to testify by South Carolina’s highest court docket however hasn’t accomplished so.

Messrs. Giuliani, Flynn and Meadows all misplaced authorized fights towards the subpoenas of their home-state courts. Some Texas-based witnesses whose testimony Ms. Willis sought haven’t complied after one in all them gained a state court docket ruling that she couldn’t be compelled to go to Georgia.

The lengths to which Ms. Willis has gone to talk to members of Mr. Trump’s inside circle means that she is intently investigating the previous president’s actions, stated Clark D. Cunningham, a professor on the Georgia State College Faculty of Regulation.

“What these witnesses have in widespread is that they provide, for the district legal professional, actual potential for tying Donald Trump personally to what occurred,” Mr. Cunningham stated.

Fulton County District Lawyer Fani Willis, proper, is main the investigation in Georgia.

Picture:

Ben Grey/Related Press

Ms. Willis’s probe is separate from the federal investigations, headed by particular counsel Jack Smith, into the dealing with of categorised paperwork at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and broader efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The jurors’ report, which might advocate prison expenses or that none be introduced, could be reviewed by a panel of Fulton County judges earlier than Ms. Willis’s workplace decides whether or not to pursue any expenses by way of a separate grand jury.

Some Georgia legal professionals have expressed skepticism in regards to the investigation, saying convening a particular grand jury was an pointless step designed to maximise publicity for Ms. Willis.

The panel “was a great way to construct her nationwide profile and speak to quite a lot of reporters,” stated Andrew Fleischman of the Georgia legislation agency Classes & Fleischman, who isn’t concerned within the investigation.

Joe Biden

beat Mr. Trump in Georgia by about 12,000 votes out of about 5 million forged, changing into the primary Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1992. Two statewide recounts and a partial forensic audit, all carried out by the workplace of Georgia Secretary of State

Brad Raffensperger,

confirmed President Biden’s slender victory. Authorized challenges to the end result failed.

Ms. Willis launched the investigation due to a recorded Jan. 2, 2021, cellphone name by which then President Trump urged Mr. Raffensperger, a Republican and onetime Trump supporter, to seek out sufficient votes to overturn his loss. Mr. Raffensperger, who oversees elections within the state, declined to take action.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resisted strain in 2020 to overturn the state’s election outcomes.

Picture:

erik s lesser/Shutterstock

Mr. Trump, who additionally spoke on the cellphone to Mr. Raffensperger’s chief investigator, has stated he made “good calls” that didn’t violate the legislation.

The Fulton County probe has expanded to incorporate GOP officers’ making a slate of presidential electors pledged to Mr. Trump in Georgia, regardless that he had misplaced the state. These 16 alternate electors met in December 2020 to signal certificates declaring themselves the state’s reliable electors.

In court docket filings, the alternate electors have stated they broke no legal guidelines. Their purpose in signing the certificates, they’ve stated, was to make sure a pathway for Mr. Trump to be declared the winner in Georgia if lawsuits ended up altering the vote depend.

Ms. Willis has stated in court docket filings that Republicans concerned within the alternate-electors effort are doable targets of her investigation. Securing their cooperation might assist her construct a case towards Mr. Trump and his inside circle, stated Mr. Cunningham, the legislation professor.

The alternate GOP electors included David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Occasion, and Burt Jones, Georgia’s lieutenant governor-elect.

Rudy Giuliani, former lawyer to Donald Trump, testified earlier than the grand jury in Atlanta in August.

Picture:

Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg Information

Ms. Willis’s investigation hit a snag this summer time after she hosted a fundraiser for a fellow Democrat, Charlie Bailey, who ran towards Mr. Jones for lieutenant governor.

The fundraiser created the looks of a battle of curiosity, stated Fulton County Superior Courtroom Choose Robert McBurney, who oversees the grand jury course of. To make sure public belief within the course of, he blocked Ms. Willis from growing a case towards Mr. Jones or deeming him a goal of the investigation.

Along with the alternate-elector scheme, Ms. Willis has targeted on two December 2020 hearings earlier than Georgia lawmakers organized by Mr. Giuliani, a lawyer for Mr. Trump on the time. Throughout these hearings, Mr. Giuliani and allies made unfounded claims about briefcases filled with ballots and hacked voting machines.

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Ms. Willis knowledgeable the previous New York Metropolis mayor earlier this yr that he was a goal of her investigation and he testified in August for about six hours. “I can inform you that we have been ordered to be right here, we confirmed up, and we did what we needed to do,” stated Invoice Thomas, a lawyer for Mr. Giuliani. Mr. Flynn and his legal professionals haven’t commented on his testimony earlier than the panel.

Mr. Graham, who made two cellphone calls of his personal to Mr. Raffensperger within the weeks after the election, testified earlier than the particular grand jury for 2 hours final month. The senator sought unsuccessfully to have the U.S. Supreme Courtroom block his subpoena, arguing that the Structure’s Speech or Debate Clause protected him as a lawmaker from being questioned about what he stated have been legislative efforts.

“The senator feels he was handled with respect, professionalism, and courtesy,” Mr. Graham’s workplace stated in an announcement about his testimony. “Out of respect for the grand jury course of, he won’t touch upon the substance of the questions.”

Write to Jan Wolfe at jan.wolfe@wsj.com and Cameron McWhirter at Cameron.McWhirter@wsj.com

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Georgia

JA of Georgia will celebrate local business owners at annual fundraiser

Published

5 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

JA of Georgia will celebrate local business owners at annual fundraiser

Liz Wright started with The Augusta Press in May of 2022, and loves to cover a variety of community topics. She strives to always report in a truthful and fair manner, which will lead to making her community a better place. In June 2023, Liz became the youngest recipient and first college student to have been awarded the Georgia Press Association’s Emerging Journalist of the Year. With a desire to spread more positive news, she especially loves to write about good things happening in Augusta. In her spare time, she can be found reading novels or walking her rambunctious Pitbull.

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Georgia

1974 Alive at Georgia Tech

Published

12 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Nine months after the sold-out show at Tech, Yes played at The Omni Nov. 30 for more than 16,000 fans. The next night, rock icon David Bowie performed the final show of his Diamond Dogs tour at the same arena — and within a year of their Fall 1974 shows, KISS and Lynyrd Skynyrd would each return to Atlanta as headliners at The Omni.

Throughout the 1970s, Tech would continue to host many of the decade’s most prominent bands and artists at Alexander Memorial Coliseum and Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Dog Day Afternoon festival in 1977 and Alex Cooley’s Champagne Jam concerts in 1978 and 1979 brought massive, sweaty crowds of music fans to campus for acts including Atlanta Rhythm Section, Bob Seger, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, Heart, The Cars, and Aerosmith.

The Georgia Tech Athletics Association has continued to open its facilities for music promoters in years since, and Tech has hosted Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Ludacris, Big Boi, and the Rolling Stones (twice!). “We are approached periodically about hosting external events, including concerts featuring popular acts,” an Athletics spokesperson said. “We are proud to provide great entertainment opportunities for the Georgia Tech community and are always looking to drive revenue that can help us provide additional resources for our student-athletes.” Most recently, Athletics welcomed thousands of Yellow Jacket supporters and music fans for the Helluva Block Party series of pregame concerts on North Avenue.

Five decades on, many of the bands whose sounds reverberated within the metal rafters of Alexander Memorial Coliseum are revered by millions. Auslander explained why he thinks the popular music of the 1970s persists. “Today, there are more shared musical tastes and experiences across generations than in the past. Youth in the 1970s mostly rejected the music and culture of their parents — now, we see parents and their children listening to the same music and going to concerts together,” he said.

Although his football experience was cut short due to injury, Ken Smith studied building construction, industrial management, and mechanical engineering at Tech and ran a successful HVAC company in the Augusta area. Over the past 50 years, Smith has seen the Doobie Brothers live more than 30 times, as well as Chicago and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

And Ned Barbre has continued returning to the Tech campus for concerts, including Pink Floyd, Jimmy Buffett, Arlo Guthrie, and the Stones.

Having experienced more than 40 KISS concerts from 1974 through the band’s farewell tour, David Dean said, “I will always remember that first show at Georgia Tech.”

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Georgia

Georgia's tourism industry hit by loss of Israeli visitors

Published

19 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Georgia's tourism industry hit by loss of Israeli visitors

“Bookings have been cancelled, and projections for new bookings are very low” according to one restauranteur.

Georgia’s summer season has begun but a significant share of visitors are missing: Israelis.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has meant Israelis are less able or unwilling to travel internationally. This drop in numbers is being felt in Georgia which usually welcomes many visitors from Israel.

“The loss is noticeable. The situation in the region has affected the number of tourists from Israel,” says Levan Giorgadze from Tbilisi Free Walking Tours.

“Compared to previous years, the number of tourists from Israel has decreased noticeably. I wouldn’t say that they don’t come at all anymore, it’s just, of course, in smaller quantities.”

Georgia’s capital Tbilisi is popular year-round with tourists, while the beaches along the Black Sea coast are a popular summer holiday destination.

Shota Burjanadze, Chairman of the Georgian Restaurateurs Association, expressed similar worries: “Bookings have been cancelled, and projections for new bookings are very low. Therefore, unfortunately, this year will not live up to expectations.”

But not everyone agrees. Maia Omiadze, Head of Georgia’s Tourist Association, believes the summer will be busy, bustling and successful. She notes that the 15 places from which tourists visit the most include Georgia‘s neighbouring countries, Persian Gulf nations and the European Union.

“The data for the first quarter of 2024 was very positive. This result allows us to have high expectations and to assume that the second quarter, the summer season and the general trend towards the end of the year in the tourism industry will be very positive,” she says.

“We expected tourists mainly from Asia, Persian Gulf and European countries. European countries made up 5% of the total number. Today, tourists are mainly expected to visit Adjara and are largely coming from our neighbouring countries, Turkey, Armenia and Russia,” Maia adds.

Office for National Statistics data for the first quarter of 2024 shows these nations still hold the top three places for the most number of visitors to Georgia.

Watch the video above to see more about Georgia’s tourism industry in 2024.

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