Why the Georgia prosecutor investigating Trump wants to keep the grand jury report sealed

We have a simple and very powerful concept in the U.S. judicial system. Prosecutors in the courts are not supposed to air accusations against anyone without giving the accused person the opportunity to refute the allegations and to defend themselves. It's a pillar of American justice that is due process, that is innocent until proven guilty, that is fair play. And in Fulton County, Georgia, the district attorney there, Fannie Willis, cited that need to be fair to any future defendants when she told a judge last month that she did not want released to the public a special grand jury's report on its investigation into 2020 election interference by Donald Trump and his associates. District Attorney Willis was basically saying, I know there is this grand jury report.

I know that special grand jury said they want their report released to the public. But I say, no, don't do it. Don't give it to the public. She's basically saying, wait for me to file indictments in court or not. Let the allegations be aired that way against people who will then be given a fair shot to defend themselves against those charges in court. Otherwise, we should keep them secret. Well, today we know the judge hearing this case agreed with her argument.

In part, the judge in the case ruled against releasing the full grand jury report at this juncture, except he decided he does want to release three sections of it. The introduction, the conclusion and this other part, which is interesting and sort of unexpected. It's what he describes as the part of the grand jury's report in which the grand jury expresses its concerns about witnesses potentially lying to them under oath. The judge says that section can be released because it doesn't name individual names of people who the grand jury is accusing of lying. The judge says in his ruling, quote, because the grand jury does not identify those witnesses, that conclusion may be publicly disclosed at this time. But it's two bottom lines from this judge's ruling today. First, material from this report, at least the introduction, the conclusion and this part about people lying under oath.

It's going to be coming out to the public as a Thursday this week. And secondly, we know this also from the judge's ruling. It does seem crystal clear from his wording today that the grand jury has recommended that people should be indicted under Georgia state law in this case. This again from Judge McBurney's order today, quote, the final report provided the district attorney with exactly what she requested, a roster of who should or should not be indicted and for what in relation to the conduct and aftermath of the 2020 general election in Georgia.

Rachel Maddow