Court documents shed light on what DA wants to know from Sen. Graham in election probe

ATLANTA — As a special purpose grand jury continues its investigation into potential criminal interference in the 2020 election, Channel 2 Action News is learning more about why the jury wants to question South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Channel 2 political reporter Richard Elliot has already reported that the grand jury wants to look at two phone calls made by Graham to Georgia’s secretary of state in the days after the election.

And we know Graham doesn’t want to testify.

On Thursday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed documents saying why he should.

“We will be going to court to contest the subpoena. Stay tuned. Our lawyers are involved, and we’ll keep you updated,” Graham said in a previous interview.

Graham insists the Constitution and congressional privilege protect him from having to testify.

But Willis filed a response Thursday saying it all revolves around former President Donald Trump’s now infamous phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

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During that call, Trump urged Raffensperger to find more votes.

“Look, all I want to do is find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we had because we won that election,” Trump was recorded saying during that call.

In the new court filings, Willis said Graham called Raffensperger twice in the days after the election asking him about tossing out certain absentee ballots in a way that would favor Trump.

The grand jury wants to know if those phone calls were somehow connected with Trump’s.

“(Graham’s) actions certainly appear interconnected with former President Trump’s similar efforts to pressure Georgia elections officials into finding 11,780 votes and to spread election fraud disinformation,” the documents said.

Graham is supposed to testify later this month.

Meanwhile, it does appear, barring some last-minute appeal, that former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani will appear before that grand jury sometime on Tuesday.

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Senator Lindsey Graham insists he doesn't have to testify in election probe

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