Don’t release grand jury report now, prosecutor says

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia prosecutor argued Tuesday in court that a judge should not immediately release a report by a special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke the law by seeking to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said disclosure of the report could violate the rights of potential defendants and could negatively affect the ability to prosecute those who may be charged with crimes.

"We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly, it is not appropriate at this time for this report to be released," Willis said.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney was hearing arguments from the district attorney's office, news outlets and potentially other parties before deciding whether to release the report, which is expected to include recommendations for Willis on possible criminal prosecution.

It's unclear just how specific those recommendations will be. The special grand jury did not have the power to issue indictments, and it will ultimately be up to Willis to decide whether to seek indictments from a regular grand jury.

If McBurney decides to disseminate the report, he must also determine whether any parts of it should be redacted and whether the report should be made public now or later. He assured an assistant district attorney arguing against release of the report that it would not be released Tuesday.

"There will be notice," McBurney said.