(Adds further details on request, background)
By Rami Ayyub and Alexandra Ulmer
Jan 20 (Reuters) - The prosecutor for Georgia's biggest county on Thursday requested a special grand jury with subpoena power to aid her investigation into former President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the U.S. state's 2020 election results.
In a letter to Fulton County's chief judge, first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, District Attorney Fani Willis wrote that multiple witnesses being probed have refused to cooperate absent a subpoena requiring their testimony.
"Therefore, I am hereby requesting ... that a special purpose grand jury be impaneled for the purpose of investigating 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," Willis wrote.
The investigation https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-georgia-investigations-idINKBN2AB0BR by Willis, a Democrat, is the most serious probe facing Trump in Georgia after he was recorded in a phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the states election results based on unfounded claims of voter fraud.
Willis specifically mentioned that Raffensperger, whom she described as an "essential witness," had indicated he would only take part in an interview once presented with a subpoena.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Trump adviser previously criticized the investigation as a "witch hunt" designed to "score political points."
A spokesperson for the superior courts in Fulton County, which encompasses most of the state capital Atlanta, said there was no immediate timeline for a response to Willis' request.
In the letter, Willis said a special grand jury, which can subpoena witnesses, was needed because jurors can be impaneled for longer periods and focus exclusively on a single probe.
During the Jan. 2, 2021 call, the former Republican president urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The transcript quotes Trump telling Raffensperger: "I just want to find 11,780 votes," which is the number Trump needed to win Georgia.
Legal experts have said Trump's phone calls may have violated at least three state election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, and intentional interference with performance of election duties. The possible felony and misdemeanor violations are punishable by fines or imprisonment.
(Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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