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Atlanta — Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney says it was “absolutely accidental” that he ended up presiding over one of the country’s hottest special purposes. grand jury investigationby former President Donald Trump and his allies, 2020 election in georgia.
McBurney told CBS News, “This is something special, something different, and something I’ve never had to deal with before.
For approximately eight months, McBurney oversaw a special purpose grand jury. Disbanded in JanuaryIn February, he ordered the partial release of the grand jury report, which found no widespread evidence of fraud in the election, and that the perjury “could have been committed by one or more witnesses.” There is,’ he said.
A panel of 23 jurors heard from 75 witnesses during the investigation. Among them are former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor, Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Senator Lindsey, among others who were subpoenaed members of the former president’s inner circle. Graham of South Carolina.
Ben Gray/AP
“I learned a lot more about the speech and debate clause than I thought I would,” McBurney jokingly described the process as “educational.”
“Working with the District Attorney’s Office and great attorneys for many witnesses has allowed me to tackle new issues. I always like it. This is to avoid the same thing you might run into in other cases.”
CBS News spoke exclusively with McBurney after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published interviews with five special grand jurors last week. This is the first group interview since jury head Emily Coase broke her silence to several media outlets last month.
McBurney has agreed to discuss his overall experience with this case and legal proceedings. He said he could talk to jurors about the reports, what the witnesses and prosecutors said, but not discuss their deliberations.
“The conversation I had with the grand jury during their dismissal was, ‘What do you mean by deliberation,'” explained McBurney. “What they said when they testified before you, their mother, their uncle, whoever they wanted, what[the late Georgia House Speaker]David Ralston said, what Michael Flynn said. There are no restrictions on sharing.”
“What they can’t share is the deliberative process, and that’s where it gets tricky,” McBurney added.
The judge declined to say whether any of the juror’s statements crossed a line. revealed new evidence, including a phone call urging former President Donald Trump and Ralston to convene a special legislative session to overturn the The jury also discussed their decision not to subpoena the former president or invite him to testify voluntarily.
Coles received heavy criticism for her media blitz After suggesting possible indictments and characterizing some of the witnesses. told the Associated Press.
“We lost 100% trust in this process,” said Drew Findling, a Georgia-based Trump attorney. told CBS News last month“We feel that this process has been compromised.”
Trump’s legal team filed a motion On Monday, they will void the special purpose grand jury report, block use of evidence derived from it, and exclude the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office from the case. Instead of citing “property” as a reason, he asked another judge to hear the motion.
McBurney and the District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the filing. Kohrs did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
Federal grand jury rules prohibit grand juries from disclosing matters that occur before a panel, but Georgia law is less stringent, requiring jurors to “keep grand jury deliberations confidential.” A bill was introduced in the Legislature to limit what the special grand jury can say and to establish penalties for unauthorized disclosure by forepersons and other special grand jury members.
Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis Currently, based on the grand jury’s recommendations, it is deciding whether to pursue indictments and open a “regular” criminal grand jury to seek potential indictments against Trump or others. and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger, who asked Ravensperger to “find” the votes needed to reverse his loss in the state. We will begin our investigation in early 2021.
McBurney briefly worked in the Fulton County DA office. The Harvard-educated judge rose through the ranks as an assistant attorney in the United States before being named to the bench by former Republican Gov. Nathan Deal in 2012.
McBurney said of the Fulton case, “This is of great social importance.” I hope I didn’t interfere with what was necessary.”
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