FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A federal judge ruled Thursday that South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify in front of the Fulton County grand jury investigating possible election interference, though the jury won’t be able to question him on some things.
The grand jury is investigating whether or not former Pres. Donald Trump and his associates engaged in criminal interference of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
In a now infamous phone-call in 2020, Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger if he could “find” thousands more votes to overturn now-President Joe Biden’s win in the state.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team have said they want to ask Graham about two phone calls they say he made to Raffensperger and his staff shortly after the 2020 general election. During those calls, Graham asked about “reexamining certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia in order to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome for former President Donald Trump,” Willis wrote in a petition seeking to compel his testimony.
RELATED STORIES:
- Sen. Lindsey Graham challenges 2020 election probe subpoena
- Judge orders Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify for special grand jury in Trump election probe
- FULL AUDIO: Call between Trump, Georgia Secretary of State investigator over signature match audit
- Judges allow Fulton DA to convene special grand jury in probe against former President Trump
Graham had been attempting to squash his subpoena, and the decision had been postponed by the 11th Circuit of Appeals as a judge decided whether the subpoena could be partially quashed or modified because of the protections granted to members of Congress by the U.S. Constitution.
A federal judge ruled Monday that jurors will not be able to ask Graham about “investigatory fact-finding” during his calls to Raffensperger and how they related to a vote to certify the election. They can, however, be questioned about any alleged efforts to ask Raffensperger to throw out ballots or alter Georgia’s election practices and any attempts Graham may have made to coordinate with the Trump campaign.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Graham had argued that all of his conversations about the Georgia election should be shielded from the jury’s questioning. He has said he will continue to fight the subpoena.
This browser does not support the video element.