Nearly a year after audio was leaked of former President Trump pressuring Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” prosecutors in Fulton County will begin the process of selecting the special grand jury used to gather information about Trump’s actions and the call with the question being: Did Trump or the call violate any laws against election interference?

The jury selection kicks off amid reports that a separate grand jury in NY has fizzled after six months without bringing any charges against Trump. The Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis requested the special grand jury be formed because of “information indicating a reasonable probability” that the 2020 election in Georgia “was subject to possible criminal disruptions.”

When asked about the investigation, Willis mentioned it would include the phone call. Trump has claimed that the phone call was “perfect, perhaps even more so than my call with the Ukrainian President.” 

Subpoena power will be given to the special grand jury allowing it to compel testimony, documents, and any other relevant evidence. In a letter to Judge Christopher Brasher, Willis claimed that a “significant number of witnesses and prospective witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony.”

It has also been indicated that Raffensperger would respond to a grand jury summons.

There is a drawn-out timeframe in which the investigation will follow. In one of the smartest moves I have seen, Willis told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she will wait to issue subpoenas until after Georgia’s primaries in May to avoid the appearance that she’s attempting to influence the election for politically motivated reasons.