Duncan says he answered questions to the best of his ability
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan ® said his testimony before the Fulton County grand jury investigating former President Trump’s and his allies’ efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state was “very serious.” He spoke to CNN’s Erin Burnett on “Erin Burnett OutFront” after his appearance on Monday.
“It was a very serious atmosphere, as you would expect, and one that was, you know, a back-and-forth conversation. And I was certainly honored to answer their questions to the best of my ability and that’s what I did for of my period of time that I was in there,” he said.
Duncan said his testimony lasted for “maybe an hour-plus” and that there was nothing that he did not expect during his testimony, adding that he was able to give a “simple answer” for the questions thrown at him.
“I can tell you that there was the highest level of attention in that room for folks with the district attorney’s office to the jurors,” he said. “It was just an extremely intense meeting, and everybody was prepared. It’s just like walking into a perfect meeting where everybody is prepared and ready to go to work and that’s really what it was, very, very serious work.”
Trump criticizes Duncan for testifying
Trump said Monday that Duncan should not testify before a grand jury, calling him a “nasty disaster” for people looking into allegations of election fraud in Georgia.
“I barely know him but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “He refused having a Special Session to find out what went on, became very unpopular with Republicans (I refused to endorse him!), and fought the TRUTH all the way.”
Duncan responded to Trump’s attack by saying that he was not surprised by it and that he was focused on telling the truth.
“I’m not here to make friends with Donald Trump. I’m here to tell the truth,” he said. “And I think history will look back on this moment and say, ‘You know what? There were some folks that stood up and told the truth.’”
Duncan also said that he hoped that the grand jury investigation would bring closure to the issue of election integrity in Georgia and across the country.
“I hope this is an opportunity for us to move past this chapter,” he said. “I hope this is an opportunity for us to really focus on what matters most in this country.”
Grand jury probe is part of broader investigation
The Fulton County grand jury is part of a broader criminal investigation led by District Attorney Fani Willis into Trump’s attempts to pressure Georgia officials to overturn his election loss in the state.
The investigation is looking into potential violations of state law, including solicitation of election fraud, false statements, conspiracy, racketeering and violation of oath of office.
Among the evidence being examined are Trump’s phone calls with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other officials, as well as his rally in Dalton, Georgia, on Jan. 4, where he urged supporters to “fight like hell” to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
The grand jury has also subpoenaed documents and records from Raffensperger’s office, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office, Attorney General Chris Carr’s office and several other state agencies.
The grand jury is expected to hear from more witnesses in the coming weeks, including former U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak, who resigned abruptly after Trump criticized him for not pursuing election fraud claims.
