Forewoman’s Media Tour Imperils Grand Jury Case Against Donald Trump
On Tuesday, one of the forepersons of the grand jury that investigated 2020 election interference in Georgia went on a
Tristan Green
On Tuesday, one of the forepersons of the grand jury that investigated 2020 election interference in Georgia went on a bizarre media tour.
She revealed things that sounded suspiciously close to protected information, leaving Republican witnesses who testified during the investigation holding sour grapes – and Donald Trump gleeful.
However, there’s one question looming over all: did she just destroy the DA’s case against Donald Trump?
The answer is not as simple as both sides would like to think.
See: DONALD TRUMP VISITS DERAILMENT SITE IN OHIO AND PROMPTLY INSULTS THE CITY’S MAYOR
Did Emily Kohrs Just Set Donald Trump Free?
On Tuesday, a giggling and youthful woman named Emily Kohrs spoke on several news outlets about her experience as a grand juror in Georgia.
She was giddy and excited, and seemed to be enjoying her moment in the sun.
But what she revealed has some crying foul – and others rejoicing.
Kohrs spoke about her experience with multiple witnesses, and then things turn a bizarre turn.
MSBNC’s Barbara McQuade writes, “She confirmed that the jurors had listened to a recording of former President Donald Trump’s phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and had discussed the slate of alternate electors. Although she did not reveal the names of any of the people the grand jury recommended indictments for, when she was asked whether Trump was one of them, she replied: ‘You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science.’ Yikes.
Even more alarming were some of the things Kohrs said about her own experience. She said she swore in one witness while holding a Ninja Turtle ice pop she had received at the district attorney’s office ice cream party. A what?! Why on Earth would grand jurors be socializing with the prosecutors? A grand jury is an independent body, and prosecutors are trained to maintain a professional distance and avoid engaging in interactions that could be perceived as influencing their decisions.
Kohrs also revealed some other concerning facts. She reported that when witnesses invoked their Fifth Amendment right to refrain from answering questions on the basis that their answers might incriminate them, she could hear all of the other grand jurors writing furiously. This could indicate that jurors were improperly holding the assertion of a constitutional right against witnesses. She said another member of the grand jury brought a newspaper into the room every day and pointed out stories about their investigation, though she herself avoided news coverage to maintain an open mind.”
District Attorney Fani Willis probably watched and wondered what upside-down she had fallen through after months and months of methodical and by-the-book investigating.
Georgia Grand Jury Investigations Aren’t as Secretive as Some
But did it ruin the case altogether?
While Republicans are crowing that this has given Trump a chance to say that his rights to due process are violated and the entire case (and any potential indictments) should be tossed and redone, it’s not so cut and dry.
In Georgia, for instance, code of conduct for grand jurors only requires them to protect the secrecy of “deliberations.”
This allows a lot of wiggle room for interpretation on both sides.
Usually, grand jury investigations are fairly secretive so most of the information she revealed would have violated that rule.
However, because this investigation has been so public from the start, she hasn’t revealed any privileged or secretive information.
That doesn’t mean that Kohrs’ behavior was wise; in fact, she’s taking great risks and putting all the work of the last two years in jeopardy.
But as of now, Trump would be hard-pressed to create a case for dismissal based on the little she’s revealed.
So far, anyway.
Donald Trump Says He Has Nothing to Fear
For his part, Trump wants followers to know that it doesn’t matter if she blew the case apart.
The former POTUS took to Truth Social around 2AM EST to reassure everyone that he’s not worried (about the thing that’s keeping him awake).
Trump wrote, “Just to make every one of those people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome feel better, it doesn’t really matter that the jury foreperson went on a Media rampage, thereby badly tainting the case and making it impossible to bring, because I did absolutely NOTHING WRONG! Two perfect phone calls on Election Integrity, that’s it! The D.A. should go after the murderers and other violent criminals in Atlanta, one of the most dangerous cities in the World, and leave honest people alone!”
Trump’s inability to sleep and tendency to obsess over things he pretends to care nothing about are all signs that he’s feeling the pressure of the closing jaws of multiple criminal and civil cases mounting against him.
With 2024 less than a year away, and the election not much further than that, this kind of distraction is what the former POTUS needs least.