As a Georgia grand jury examines Donald Trump’s behavior after his election loss in 2020, the former president’s team has turned to one of Atlanta’s most recognized and prominent attorneys.
Dwight Thomas has defended several of the region’s most prominent defendants in high-stakes lawsuits for more than four decades. According to veteran prosecutor Clinton Rucker, who spent more than 25 years handling important cases for that office, the fact that he has consulted for the Trump campaign may be a hint that it is taking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ inquiry extremely seriously.
“If you hired Dwight Thomas, you’re dead serious,” Rucker, who is now a municipal court judge, remarked. “You certainly feel that you have some exposure, and you want to make sure that you have someone talented enough not just to investigate the problems, but also to go in and battle and win.” Willis’ office said Willis met with Thomas about the matter, and that the D.A. would only discuss the case with lawyers engaged in it. Willis and Thomas had a conversation, according to Yahoo News. In an email, Thomas refused to describe his role, citing grand jury confidentiality rules. According to a person familiar with Thomas’ participation, his job involves “advising” concerning extraordinary grand juries and the statutes that regulate them. Trump’s representatives and lawyers did not respond to demands for comment. Trump has dismissed all claims of misconduct about his behaviour after the 2020 election.
In recent months, the special grand jury has subpoenaed hundreds of Trump fans and associates. It has also heard evidence from state officials engaged in a controversial phone conversation on Jan. 2, 2021, in which the then-president told Georgia election officials, “I simply want to find 11,780 votes” — the amount required to overtake Biden’s advantage.
Few defense lawyers have as much experience with special grand juries as Thomas, according to Rucker. Special grand juries are distinct in that they concentrate on a single inquiry and might be appointed for a longer period of time than regular grand juries. Willis said in January that the special grand jury will have “an investigative focus suitable to the complexity of the facts and circumstances involved.”
Among Thomas’ present and former clientele are a bevy of celebrities and politicians. He is now listed as a counsel for Alfred Megbuluba, a 32-year-old charged on murder charges for allegedly throwing a lady out of a moving Lamborghini. According to another attorney involved in the case, Megbuluba will issue a not guilty plea. Thomas recently represented Jason Lary, the mayor of a suburb of Atlanta who pled guilty to fraud charges related from a plot to embezzle more than $900,000 in COVID-19 relief monies.
Closer to home, Trump represented Vernon Jones, a then-Democratic local legislator, in a number of cases. Jones rose to global prominence after endorsing Trump’s reelection in 2020. Jones then switched to the Republican Party.
According to campaign finance records, Thomas has mostly given to Democrats, including $2,000 in 2021 to Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is running for reelection against Trump-backed candidate Herschel Walker. Georgia attorney Jason Sheffield, on the other hand, said it’s not surprising that Thomas would take on a renowned Republican client.
“At the courts, he looks for partisanship. And he is really conscientious. A wise, fair, and skilled negotiator. Thorough, but above all, I believe, simply an advocate for the fair administration of the law, “Sheffield, an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law who formerly worked in Thomas’ office, made the statement.
Sheffield said he recently phoned Thomas for help before taking on a high-profile, contentious client. Travis McMichael was one of three individuals convicted of murder in the racist assassination of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was out running when he was chased and killed down by three White males in pickup trucks.
“I phoned Dwight before accepting the case and said, ‘What do you think of this?’ It’s a really troubling situation, and people are outraged.’ ‘If you can’t take on this case, you can’t take on any case,’ he stated “Sheffield said.
Sheffield described the instruction as fitting a type of mantra. “If you can’t do it for one, you can’t do it for any,” Thomas reminds the attorneys he trains.
Michael Holmes, another former colleague at his business, expressed that opinion.
“He was a father figure and friend to me, as well as a brilliant attorney,” Holmes added.
According to Sheffield and Rucker, the 71-year-old Thomas has taught innumerable lawyers, and many of his protégés are current or past prosecutors in Fulton County.
“I can’t count how many prosecutors here have learned the profession of criminal law from Dwight’s office,” Sheffield said.
Rucker remembers learning from Thomas despite his opposition.
“He’ll catch you on legal jargon, and he’ll do it with a grin. When it’s all said and done, he’ll say, ‘Hey, let me take you to lunch.’” Rucker stated.