Fulton County Sheriff investigating threats against grand jurors after Trump indictment

August 18, 2023

Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is leading an effort to track down the origins of violent threats against the members of the grand jury that handed up an indictment against former President Trump and 18 other co-defendants for actions surrounding Georgia’s 2020 election.  

In a statement the Sheriff’s office said that it is “aware that personal information of members of the Fulton County Grand Jury is being shared on various platforms. As the lead agency, our investigators are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to track down the origins of threats in Fulton County and other jurisdictions.”

The statement goes on to say that law enforcement takes this matter “very seriously” and the Sheriff’s office is “coordinating with our law enforcement partners to respond quickly to any credible threats and to ensure the safety of those individuals who carried out their civic duty.”

The Sheriff’s department asks that anyone aware of a threat to call 911 immediately or contact their local police department. 

On Monday the grand jurors handed up an indictment that criminally charges Trump and 18 others with 41 criminal counts related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election in Georgia.

Trump was the recipient of 13 of those criminal charges, including violation of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, Andy conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree.

Among his co-defendants are Trump associates Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, and Sydney Powell along with various local election officials including fake electors. 

All 19 defendants face Georgia state racketeering charges.

The grand jury proceedings took place behind closed doors, but, as per standard practice in Georgia, the indictment lists the names of the 26 citizens who made up the panel, though three names were crossed out. 

Since the indictment was unsealed, users on social media, including far-right platforms like 4chan, began to call for acts of violence against the grand jurors and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought the investigation. 

Earlier this week, a Texas woman, Abigail Jo Shry, was arrested for threatening to kill Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court in DC who’s overseeing Trump’s federal criminal case surrounding attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

PHOTO: Atlanta’s Fulton County Courthouse in 2011

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