Georgia

Key figures in the Donald Trump/Georgia election interference investigation

Published

2 years ago

July 20, 2023

Key figures in the Donald Trump/Georgia election interference investigation

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – In May 2022, a special grand jury seated in Fulton County – Georgia’s most heavily populated and home to the city of Atlanta – began an investigation into allegations that former President Donald Trump attempted to influence the outcome of the state’s 2020 general election.

Here are the key players in that investigation:

The former president

On Jan. 2, 2021, the nation’s 45th president and his aides placed a call from the White House to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger regarding the outcome of the state’s 2020 presidential election results, an election that Trump had lost by just over 11,000 votes. In that call, Trump appealed to Georgia’s top elections official to help him “find 11,780 votes,” just enough needed to beat Democrat Joe Biden.

Read: Full transcript of Donald Trump’s call to Brad Raffensperger

That call has become a crucial part of Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ investigation into whether Trump or any of his associates interfered with the election’s outcome, an election that saw Biden become the first Democrat to win Georgia in a presidential election since Bill Clinton in 1992.

Trump has repeatedly slammed the investigation as a “strictly political witch hunt.” The former president’s mounting legal troubles have not prevented him from not only launching a 2024 reelection bid, but a consistent lead in polls among GOP voters.

The district attorney

The first woman to serve as Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis took office on January 1, 2021, after ousting longtime incumbent – and former boss – Paul Howard.

Willis, a career trial lawyer with 19 years of prosecutorial experience, opened a criminal investigation “into attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election.” A special grand jury with subpoena power was seated in May at her request. In court filings, she is alleging “a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.”

Willis’ office is also prosecuting a massive racketeering case involving rapper Young Thug. The jury selection for that trial has already lasted longer than any other in Georgia history.

Willis graduated from Howard University in 1992 and came to Atlanta to attend Emory University School of Law, graduating in 1996. She lives in the city of South Fulton, one of Georgia’s newest cities and which has been mired in controversy almost since its municipalization.

The governor

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was a target of Trump’s ire as his efforts repeatedly failed to overturn Georgia’s election outcome.

Kemp was in the middle of a nationally watched reelection battle against Democrat Stacey Abrams last fall when he was called to testify before Willis’ special grand jury on the Trump case. However, a Fulton County Superior Court judge ruled Kemp could wait until after the election to appear.

New poll shows how Brian Kemp stacks up against other Republicans in 2024

After handily winning reelection last fall, Kemp has been urging fellow Republicans to resist urges to “look in the rearview mirror” as the 2024 presidential election nears, a veiled reference to Trump.

Georgia’s most politically powerful GOP governor in recent memory also boycotted this year’s Georgia Republican convention, which Trump headlined.

The lieutenant governor and other alleged ‘fake electors’

Burt Jones, a former state senator and now Georgia’s first-term lieutenant governor, was identified last year as one of 16 Republicans who allegedly served as fake electors in the 2020 election.

Jones won the open election for lieutenant governor with Trump’s backing. The former incumbent, Geoff Duncan, became a vocal critic of Trump’s claims the election was stolen. He even penned a book entitled “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America’s Conservative Party.”

Duncan’s decision not to run for reelection after only one term as lieutenant governor opened the door for Jones, who had represented middle Georgia’s District 25 since 2012.

Willis was disqualified from investigating Jones’ alleged role as a fake elector operating on Trump’s behalf because of her support of his opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat Charlie Bailey.

The secretary of state

Georgia’s 29th Secretary of State was first elected in 2018 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2022. A former Johns Creek, Georgia, city councilman, Brad Raffensperger was elected to the state House in 2014, where he served two terms.

Raffensperger was the recipient of the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call from then-President Donald Trump and his aides, who argued Georgia’s election was compromised, specifically in Fulton County

Raffensperger testified before the special grand jury investigating whether Trump and others illegally tried to meddle in the 2020 election. He also testified before a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that Trump’s claims of 2020 election fraud “were false.”

In Georgia, Raffensperger has overseen the delivery of the largest implementation of voting machines in U.S. history, according to his office, and oversaw the modernization of its election system by adding its first auditable paper ballot system. He is the first Secretary of State to pass legislation requiring photo ID for all forms of voting, and expanding polling places in Georgia counties.

The judges

Ural Glanville

Glanville is chief judge of the Fulton County Superior Court, which is where DA Fani Willis is conducting her investigation. Glanville, who has served on the court since 2005, is also the chief judge of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit.

Besides overseeing the highly publicized Young Thug trial, Glanville’s office is also responsible for setting trial and court schedules for the Superior Court. In a May 18, 2023, letter to Glanville and other Fulton County officials, Willis informed the parties her office would be working remotely during the first two months of August. That fueled speculation Willis was in the final stages of issuing any charges or indictments regarding her investigation into Donald Trump.

Glanville served on the magistrate court of Fulton County from 1995 to 2004. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Georgia in 1984 and a juris doctor, also from UGA, in 1987. He earned a master’s in strategic studies at the U.S. Army War College in 2008. He also holds the rank of Brigadier General, Chief Judge in the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, and has served as a commanding general in the NATO Rule of Law Support Mission/Rule of Law Field Force-Afghanistan.

Robert McBurney

The Harvard Law School graduate has served as a judge on the Superior Court of Fulton County since 2012. His has been the courtroom in which Fulton County DA Fani Willis and former President Donald Trump’s attorneys have argued over whether Willis’ special grand jury findings should be released to the public.

From 2018 until 2020, McBurney served as chief judge for the Atlanta Judicial Circuit; a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; and an assistant district attorney for Fulton County.

The defense

Atlanta attorneys Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Dwight Thomas are representing the former president.

Findling, who goes by the hashtag #BillionDollarLawyer, has represented other high-profile clients, such as Gucci Mane; Katt Williams; Karen King of “Love and Hip Hop” fame; and Victor Hill, the suspended Clayton County sheriff.

Thomas represented internationally known rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, after he was arrested and charged with illegal firearms possession.

Little’s career began her career as a major felony prosecutor in DeKalb County. She now is a private practitioner.

Rudy Guiliani

The man once known as America’s mayor testified last year before Willis’ special grand jury. Giuliani is also a target of a criminal investigation into possible illegal attempts by then-President Trump and others to interfere in the 2020 general election in Georgia.

Guiliani, a former U.S. associate attorney general and former U.S. Attorney, served as Trump’s lawyer as he sought to overturn the 2020 election’s results.

Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City when the 9/11 terrorist attacks struck his city, lost his law license in New York and Washington, D.C., as a result of his support of Trump’s claims about rigged voting machines, polling place fraud, and an international communist conspiracy.

Guiliani is also the target of several lawsuits, including a defamation lawsuit from two former Fulton County election workers – Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss – who were alleged by Guiliani of mishandling ballots in the election. Raffensperger has said numerous allegations made against the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections, and specifically, Freeman and Moss, were false and unsubstantiated.

Willis has notified Giuliani and the Georgia fake electors that they could face criminal charges in the investigation.

The most important people of all – the grand jurors

In July, two grand juries were seated in Fulton County, and one of them could hand up indictments to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis against former President Donald Trump and allies in Georgia over alleged attempts to overturn the state’s results after the 2020 election.

The two grand juries will be comprised of 23 citizens each, whittled down from a pool of nearly a hundred prospective grand jurors.

Whichever group received the case will work heavily off the report of a special grand jury, which was partially published with heavy redactions in February.

That report showed there was no widespread fraud in Georgia’s 2020 election, as Trump has claimed, and also recommended charges against several individuals who weren’t named. The report also indicated some of the subjects involved in the investigation may have lied under oath.

Unlike a criminal trial – where consent among jurors has to be reached for a conviction – the burden on grand juries for recommending an indictment is far lower. Out of the 23 members seated, only 12 have to agree to recommend charges.

Atlanta News First and Atlanta News First+ provide you with the latest news, headlines and insights as Georgia continues its role at the forefront of the nation’s political scene. Download our Atlanta News First app for the latest political news and information.

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Georgia

Georgia football future SEC opponents, schedule announced

Published

5 days ago

September 23, 2025

Press Room

Georgia football future SEC opponents, schedule announced

The SEC has announced the future Georgia football conference opponents for the 2026 through 2029 seasons.

Georgia will face Florida, South Carolina and Auburn every season. The SEC announced on Friday that the annual opponents will be revisited every four seasons.

Georgia football future SEC opponents, schedule

2026: Florida (Atlanta), at South Carolina, Auburn, at Alabama, at Ole Miss, at Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Vanderbilt
2027: Florida (Tampa), South Carolina, at Auburn, at Kentucky, at Texas, at Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee
2028: Florida (Jacksonville), at South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, at Oklahoma, at Missouri, at Vanderbilt
2029: Florida (Jacksonville), South Carolina, at Auburn, Kentucky, Texas, Texas A&M, at LSU, at Mississippi State, at Tennessee

“it’s hard. I mean, it’s brutal. And everybody’s the same,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday night. “I mean, we all gotta play each other. It’s really tough, highly ranked teams, physical teams. It’s just going to continue to be a grind. I mean, looking forward with the nines coming, it’s going to be scary because you just don’t have enough. Nobody has enough depth.”

Dates for the 2026 schedule will be announced in December, according to the conference. The schedules will be flipped in 2028 and 2029 from the home-road splits in 2026 and 2027.

In its scheduling outline, the SEC made it clear it wants competitively balanced schedules, which will be determined using the entire schedule and not just the annual opponents. Tennessee reportedly will face Alabama, Vanderbilt and Kentucky in each of the next four years. The latter two are not exactly football powerhouses.

According to the SEC, the highest opponent average winning percentage for any school in the 2026-29 schedules is 55.67% while the lowest is 46.65%, a difference of only 9.02%. From 2020 through 2023 — when the league still used the divisional format — the highest winning percentage was 61.32% and the lowest was 39.76%.

In addition to nine conference games, the SEC stipulates that schools face one Power Four in its nonconference scheduling.

Georgia’s game against Georgia Tech satisfies that requirement. Georgia has future nonconference games against Louisville, Florida State, Clemson and Ohio State on its schedule for the time being.

As it stands, Georgia has 13 games scheduled for the 2025 season. The Bulldogs have nonconfernce games against Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Louisville and Georgia Tech.

“We’re working through that right now, and a lot of that’s going to be determined as we learn when and where our schedule is going to be in the next few weeks,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said. “But that’s something we’re attacking right now to see what our options are going to be in 2026. So we’re going to take it one year at a time right now. The first focus is going to be on 2026 and then 2027 and moving on. So still a lot of work to be done, and I work closely with Coach Smart and Mark Robinson and the league to kind of figure out what is that going to mean for our schedule moving forward.”

Georgia takes on Alabama this week, with the game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Georgia

‘Tinder Swindler’ Leviev arrested upon Georgia arrival | The Jerusalem Post

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2025

Press Room

‘Tinder Swindler’ Leviev arrested upon Georgia arrival | The Jerusalem Post

The grounds for his arrest are still unknown, even to his attorneys.

Screenshot of Simon Leviev, the Tinder Swindler, in his documentary series on Free TV.

(photo credit: COURTESY OF FREE TV VIA MAARIV)

ByYOAV ETIEL, JERUSALEM POST STAFF

SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 01:43

Updated: SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 02:03

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Georgia

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: College football live scores, games, highlights and more

Published

2 weeks ago

September 13, 2025

Press Room

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: College football live scores, games, highlights and more

We’re back for another week of college football action and the slate is loaded, including three games between ranked opponents.

Here’s how to watch in Week 3. Scroll down for live scores, highlights and more.

Here are the best games this Saturday:

Clemson at Georgia Tech (+3), Noon ET, ESPN: The Tigers are just 3-point favorites ahead of their first road game. It’s a sign that expectations for Clemson have been way off. With Haynes King back, the Yellow Jackets will want to keep it on the ground.

Georgia at Tennessee (+4), 3:30 p.m., ABC: Has Georgia’s offense been good enough ahead of this pivotal SEC game? Saturday is the day to air it out as Tennessee will be without its top two corners again.

South Florida at Miami (-17.5), 4:30 p.m., The CW: The Bulls are the surprise team so far this season. Can they pull off a third straight upset, or will the ‘Canes handle business?

Florida at LSU (-7), 7:30 p.m., ABC: This game was going to be the day’s marquee matchup before Florida’s loss to USF. A Florida victory would certainly quiet the idea that Billy Napier is on the hot seat.

Texas A&M at Notre Dame (-6.5), 7:30 p.m., NBC: Aggies QB Marcel Reed has thrown for seven TDs so far and A&M’s offense has racked up 953 total yards. The Irish will surely try to get the ball to their star running backs after a subpar opener.

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