Trump election probe: Jury believes witnesses may have lied

A special grand jury, which ran a long investigation into efforts by former US President Donald Trump and his allies, to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia believe some witnesses committed perjury.

The jury recommended that prosecutors seek charges, according to excerpts from their report that were released on Thursday. The report also concluded that there was no evidence that fraud was committed in the election in Georgia, refuting Trump's claims.

Trump has repeatedly rejected the results of the 2020 election. He particularly claimed fraudulent behavior in Georgia, a state which voted Democrat for the first time during the 2020 election since 1992. President Joe Biden took the state, beating Trump with a narrow lead of 12,000 votes.

The former president's persistent claims of election fraud are believed to have triggered the January 6 riots in Washington, where his supporters stormed US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

What does the grand jury's report mean for Trump?

The court in Georgia only released the report's introduction, conclusion and section on perjury on Thursday. Other sections and details of the report, including which witnesses are believed to have lied and what charges are recommended, has yet to be made public.

Witnesses heard by the jury include some of Trump's staunchest allies, such as his fourth chief of staff Mark Meadows, his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.

The former president himself was not subpoenaed as a witness and did not appear before the grand jury, neither was he charged with any crime, the Reuters news agency cited his lawyers as saying.

Thursday's report release marks the first time in the case that the grand jurors' recommendations for criminal charges have been made public.

It comes as Trump is seeking the Republican presidential nomination for the 2024 election.

rmt/rs (AFP, AP, Reuters)