On Tuesday, CNN reported that multiple people who served as fake GOP "electors" as part of a slate alleging former President Donald Trump won the state of Georgia are cooperating with prosecutors investigating the former president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
"Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' office appears to be trying to determine whether the pro-Trump electors in Georgia had any knowledge that their actions may have been a component of a broader and potentially illegal plot to pressure election officials and overturn Joe Biden's victory, a source told CNN," reported Zachary Cohen and Sara Murray.
"The pro-Trump electors who have met with prosecutors in Georgia, including the state's Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, were reassured that they are currently considered witnesses, rather than subjects or targets, in the investigation — a notable distinction that suggests the Atlanta-area district attorney does not view their actions as criminal at this time, two of the sources told CNN," said the report. "The interviews with pro-Trump electors in Georgia, which have not been previously reported, are the first indication that the Fulton County DA has already begun looking into the matter — adding to an array of other probes by DOJ, the House Select Committee investigating January 6 and other states where alternate slates were put forward."
Willis has been investigating Trump's actions around 2020, which include placing a call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger demanding he "find" 12,000 extra votes to declare him the winner of the state. Raffensperger reportedly perceived that call as a threat and feared reprisal from Trump supporters — but refused to throw the election.
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The fake electors were part of a scheme conceived of by far-right attorney John Eastman, where former Vice President Mike Pence would declare states with the "alternate" electors to be disputed and not count them, throwing the election to Trump. Legal experts have said this scheme was illegal, and Pence himself believed he lacked the authority.
The investigation is one of several that create legal liability for Trump, although the former president appears to be dodging a major bullet as the Manhattan DA's investigation of his businesses looks to be winding down without charges against him.