Georgia prosecutor seeks FBI protections after Trump remarks
5:11 pm Monday, January 31st, 2022
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A Georgia prosecutor who is conducting a criminal investigation of Donald Trump has asked the FBI for a risk assessment and security protections, citing the former president’s “alarming” rhetoric about prosecutors and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis, who is investigating whether Trump tried to influence the state’s handling of the 2020 election, told the FBI’s Atlanta field office that her concerns were driven by Trump’s comments in Texas on Saturday, when he attacked “radical, vicious racist prosecutors” and encouraged protests in Washington, New York and Atlanta.
In a letter dated Sunday, Willis said her staff has already made security accommodations around the Fulton County courthouse and government offices.
“Security concerns were escalated this weekend by the rhetoric of former President Trump at a public event in Conroe, Texas,” she wrote, adding that the event was “undoubtedly watched by millions.”
“This rhetoric is more alarming in light of his statements” concerning pardons for those convicted of crimes in last year’s deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Willis asked the FBI for an immediate risk assessment and protective resources including intelligence and federal agents.
She said it was important the resources were in place well before a special grand jury convenes in the case on May 2.
The FBI’s Atlanta office confirmed it had received Willis’ letter but declined to comment further.
The investigation by Willis, a Democrat, is the most serious probe facing Trump in Georgia after he was recorded in a phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the state’s election results based on unfounded claims of voter fraud.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu in WashingtonEditing by Matthew Lewis)
