Former DOJ lawyer slams Georgia grand jury investigation into Trump: 'Political persecution'

A former Justice Department lawyer believes recent media reports about the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury's probe into allegations former President Trump attempted to disrupt the 2020 election is "political persecution" and not a justifiable investigation. 

Hans von Spakovsky, a Heritage Foundation legal analyst, told Fox News Digital he does not believe the ongoing investigation into whether Trump interfered with the state's 2020 presidential election results is credible on the merits or in the approach that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has taken.

"No one should give any credibility to the findings of this grand jury," von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. Von Spakovsky previously served as counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, was a former member of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and once served on the Fulton County elections board.

"I say that because the DA there, Fani Willis, has made it very clear that she is not only politically ambitious, but that she is unethical."

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"There's no credible legal basis for her to be investigating this case. And she has shown that this is really a political prosecution, and it's a matter of self-aggrandizement. I mean, all you have to do is look at some of the witnesses she subpoenaed to come to her grand jury," von Spakovsky said.

Emily Kohrs, the foreperson for Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury, appeared in numerous media interviews Tuesday speaking about aspects of the investigation into the former president. She said there may be over a dozen indictments coming and hinted that the targets may even include Trump.

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"You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science," Kohrs told The New York Times when asked if Trump was among the list of potential indictments. "It is not going to be some giant plot twist. You probably have a fair idea of what may be in there. I’m trying very hard to say that delicately."

"What this jury forewoman is doing [shows] that this is a political persecution. It has nothing to do with criminal law," Spakovsky said of Kohrs' recent media appearances. "I believe that was unethical conduct, and I believe it shows that she's interested in self-aggrandizement."

CNN also criticized Kohrs' media tour, describing it as "a prosecutor's nightmare," and that the TV appearances were "a horrible idea."

"Prosecutors are wincing watching her go on this," Elie Honig, a CNN legal analyst, said of her recent media appearances. Host Anderson Cooper agreed and said he too "was wincing just watching her eagerness to hint at stuff."

"We're talking about taking away somebody's liberty," Honig said. "She doesn't seem to be taking this very seriously." He added that Kohrs is not supposed to be talking about anything regarding the investigation and that the tour is "going to be a real problem for prosecutors" who are seeking charges against the former president.

The Fulton County grand jury investigation began in May and lasted through December. A partial report of the findings indicated  at least one witness is suspected of committing perjury in the inquiry. 

Willis also faced criticism after she endorsed a Democratic primary candidate for lieutenant governor whose main opponent in the general election was a Republican target of the grand jury probe. Willis' political endorsement created a "plain — and actual and untenable — conflict," a Fulton County judge wrote in a July ruling, and she was barred from subpoenaing the Republican.

It's unclear when the Fulton County district attorney will announce any indictments in the matter. A spokesman for the district attorney did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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Following the release of portions of the grand jury's report, Trump celebrated the news as an exoneration.

"The long awaited important sections of the Georgia report, which do not even mention President Trump’s name, have nothing to do with the president because President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong," Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, told Fox News Digital after the report was dropped. 

An earlier version of this story misidentified Hans von Spakovsky's former role. He is a former DOJ lawyer.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.