ATLANTA — An independent Atlanta journalist who observed a 2020 meeting where 16 Republicans signed Electoral College documents falsely claiming Donald Trump won in Georgia has been asked to testify in front of Fulton County grand jurors who could indict the former president and his allies, according to documents reviewed by 11Alive.
George Chidi shared images of his two subpoenas in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday evening. The journalist said his testimony is required between Aug. 7 and Aug. 31. He said he'll be given 48 hours notice before being asked to testify.
Chidi also wrote about his subpoenas in an article for The Intercept, an online news publication. 11Alive has also obtained a copy of the subpoenas.
Chidi wrote that he has subpoenas for both of the Fulton County grand juries meeting this court term. One panel meets on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other meets on Thursdays and Fridays.
The journalist previously testified about the elector scheme before a special purpose grand jury investigating potential election interference.
"I would expect my testimony to be solely about that day at the (Georgia State Capitol) and what I saw when I walked into that room," Chidi told 11Alive Monday evening.
Chidi observed a meeting of 16 Republicans who were selected to serve as presidential electors if Donald Trump won the state of Georgia. The electors are:
- David Shafer
- Joseph Brannan
- James "Ken" Carroll
- Vikki Townsend Consiglio
- Carolyn Hall Fisher
- Burt Jones
- Gloria Kay Godwin
- David G. Hanna
- Mark W. Hennessy
- Mark Amick
- John Downey
- Cathleen Alston Latham
- Daryl Moody
- Brad Carver
- Shaw Still
- C.B. Yadav
The group met at the state capitol on Dec. 14, 2020 — the same day Georgia's Democratic presidential electors cast Electoral College ballots for Joe Biden.
Chidi stumbled upon the meeting after following one of the GOP's alternate electors into a room. He said he was kicked out of the room shortly after entering and lied to about the purpose of the meeting.
"I went to the capitol ... because I was concerned after seeing a lot of right-wing extremist activity," he said. "I didn't realize the Republican electors would actually try to meet there."
As Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election investigation expanded, the electors' actions came under greater scrutiny. Evidence obtained by the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack and other investigative bodies suggests the elector scheme was part of a larger plot to keep Trump in power.
At least half of the Georgia electors have accepted immunity deals from prosecutors, according to court documents. Attorneys for former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer have argued in recent weeks that the electors' actions were "constitutionally protected."
Georgia's Trump electors took the same actions as Hawaii's 1960 Democratic presidential electors, the attorneys wrote in a letter to Willis earlier this month.
In that election, John F. Kennedy had already secured enough Electoral College votes to win the presidency, but Richard Nixon was declared the winner in Hawaii by 140 votes.
Democrats challenged the results, and a court-ordered recount was ongoing. With the results disputed, both electors met and sent their ballots to Congress. The recount found that Kennedy won by 115 votes, and the state's electoral votes went to Kennedy.
In Georgia, a legal challenge filed by Trump and Shafer was still pending when the electors met, and the 16 Republicans were acting on the advice of legal counsel, Shafer's attorneys said.
Willis is expected to announce indictments before Sept. 1. She's previously hinted that charging decisions could come before Aug. 18.