Donald Trump Supporters Leak Personal Information of Georgia Grand Jurors

Supporters of former president Donald Trump have published purported identities, images, and residences of the Fulton County grand jury members on the internet. In connection with their attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, the grand jury recently charged Trump and 18 other people with state racketeering charges.

According to NBC News, the grand jurors' personal information was found on a controversial website known for its use of violent language. While NBC News has chosen not to identify the website to stop further distribution of this information, it is obvious that such activities can have serious implications. Since threats and security issues have gotten worse, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office has refrained to comment on the situation.

This alarming discovery was made by Advance Democracy, a nonpartisan research organization created by former FBI agent Daniel J. Jones. “It’s becoming all too commonplace to see everyday citizens performing necessary functions for our democracy being targeted with violent threats by Trump-supporting extremists," said Jones, expressing his dismay over the trend. He also attacked the right's lack of political leadership in condemning these threats, which in his opinion catalyze actual political violence. "The lack of political leadership on the right to denounce these threats — which serve to inspire real-world political violence — is shameful,”

Tragically, users have shared names, pictures, and even social media accounts of individuals thought to be grand jurors on several spaces, including pro-Trump forums and websites with links to terrorist attacks. The jurors have been linked to politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Raphael Warnock, former President Barack Obama, and the Black Lives Matter movement, according to some users.

When Trump hinted at taking action against people who wanted to expose possible election cheating in a social media post, the issue got worse. The group Advance Democracy noted that some Trump supporters were employing coded language, substituting the term "rigger" for a racist label, which increased the likelihood of violence.

The American Bar Association strongly condemned the threats and sharing of personal information about the grand jurors online, stressing the importance of protecting Americans who carry out their civic duties. According to the association's statement, the grand jurors fulfilled their obligation to uphold democracy and shouldn't be subjected to dangers to their safety and well-being, per Guardian.

“The civic-minded members of the Georgia grand jury performed their duty to support our democracy,” the association’s statement stated. “It is unconscionable that their lives should be upended and safety threatened for being good citizens.”

The circumstance sheds light on a more widespread problem of rising political extremism and violence. The release of this personal information has been linked to several websites known for promoting extreme opinions. These platforms have been linked to past incidents of violence, like mass shootings and the Capitol riot according to Ben Decker, CEO of Memetica, a threat intelligence organization, per CNN.