Last week, President Joe Biden awarded Shaye and Freeman Presidential Citizen Medals, honoring them along with other election officials and law enforcement officers for their “contributions to our democracy” prior to and during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“Despite it all, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss found the courage to testify openly and honestly for the whole country and the world about their experience to set the record straight about the lies and defend the integrity of our elections,” Biden said. “Ruby and Shaye, you don’t deserve what happened to you, but you do deserve the nation’s eternal thanks for showing the dignity and grace of We the People. [It’s] presumptuous of me, but I’m so proud of you both.”
Trump’s response to the women’s awards was vicious, arguing that Freeman could lose or have to return her medal.
“Ruby, her daughter, and the others who ran back into the counting room, grabbing the cases from under the ‘skirted’ table, and then back to their counting machines where they came from prior to hearing ‘water main break’ (which never happened) have got a lot of explaining to do. I predict that this medal, at a minimum, will someday be withdrawn,” Trump posted.
If you’re wondering why Trump even cares about the awards and is back on the attack after so many months, well, on Monday the Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury concluded its report investigating the twice-impeached president for possible election crimes in 2020.
Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote Monday that the 26-member group was convened for an investigation into “‘the facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to possible attempts to disrupt the lawful administration of the 2020 elections in the State of Georgia’ and to prepare a report on whether anyone should be prosecuted for such potential crimes.”
The next step is a hearing set for Jan. 24, where the Fulton District Attorney’s office, media, and those named in the investigation will decide whether the report should be made public, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. The decision to press charges on the case resides with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who would have to provide evidence before another regular grand jury.
Shaye and Freeman appeared before the Jan. 6 committee in June 2022 to give testimony about how Trump and Giuliani’s ubiquitous lies impacted their lives.
The two Georgia election workers were driven from their homes, threatened on social media, and were left feeling afraid to go out into public. During their testimony, Freeman revealed that Trevian Kutti, identified as Kanye West’s publicist, came to Freeman’s home, identified herself as a “crisis manager,” and threatened Freeman, urging her to admit to her role in alleged election fraud or face jail time within 48 hours. Even Moss’ grandmother was caught up in the fray, menaced by Trump supporters and the web of lies created by Trump and Giuliani.
“It was just a lot of horrible things there,” Moss told the House select committee, adding that many of the social media comments directed at the women “were racist” and “hateful.”
Trump’s latest bombardment is no doubt related to the Fulton County investigation and trying everything in his power to distance himself from his own election crimes and toward the invented boogeyman of the Big Lie.
