ATLANTA — One of the "fake" electors for former President Donald Trump is working to stop Atlanta prosecutors from proceeding with their investigation into alleged criminal interference in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.
An attorney for Cathy Latham, the former chair of the Coffee County Republican Party, filed a motion Friday joining Trump's efforts to bury a special purpose grand jury report that recommends more than a dozen people be indicted for their actions.
Both Latham and Trump want Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office barred from any further investigation or prosecutions related to the election. The pair also argue evidence uncovered by the special purpose grand jury was "unconstitutionally derived" and no prosecutor should be able to use it.
Latham, a retired school teacher, was one of 16 Republicans who cast Electoral College ballots falsely claiming Trump won the 2020 presidential election.
Trump filed his motion to quash the jury's report in March.
North Carolina attorney Kieran J. Shanahan filed the motion on Latham's behalf. Shanahan didn't return a call from 11Alive before publication.
"The actions of the Fulton County District Attorney's Office as set forth in the Trump Motion have violated Mrs. Latham's constitutional rights, have tainted the evidence allegedly gathered by the (jury), and have intruded upon the traditional independence and safeguards of the institution of the grand jury itself," Latham's motion reads.
Latham also played a key role in the alleged breaching and copying of election data in Coffee County on Jan. 7, 2021. Both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Fulton County District Attorney are investigating the breach.
Surveillance footage shows Latham escorting operatives working with former Trump attorney Sidney Powell through the front door of the county's election office. The operatives then spent hours inside the office copying election data.
Texts reviewed by 11Alive and obtained through a years-long civil lawsuit challenging the security of Georgia’s electronic voting systems show Trump allies were invited to inspect the county's voting system.
“Huge things are starting to come together! Most immediately, we were granted access - by written invitation! - to the Coffee County systens (sic). Yay!”, said Trump attorney Katherine Friess in a Jan. 1, 2021 text message.
According to a motion filed last week by Willis, some of the fake electors are accusing another elector of violating state law. Prosecutors don't identify the alleged crime or the elector who may have violated state law.
Willis filed the motion in an effort to remove attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow, who was representing 10 of the fake Trump electors. Willis alleged that Debrow failed to inform the electors of immunity offers in 2022.
Debrow denied the allegations and has until May 5 to respond to Willis.