FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, must testify in front of a special grand jury, a judge has ruled. The panel is hearing evidence in the Fulton County case investigating former President Donald Trump's involvement in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.
Fulton County Superior Court judge Robert C. I. McBurney ruled Monday that the senator "will be required to testify before the Special Purpose Grand Jury" in August. This comes after lawyers for the Republican senator said they intended to challenge his subpoena.
The order for Graham relates to December 2020 phone calls to Georgia Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger in which the South Carolina senator, according to the order, "questioned Secretary Raffensperger and his staff about reexamining certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia in order to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome" for Trump. Court documents allege Graham made two such calls.
The judge's order adds that Graham also reportedly made reference to allegations of widespread voter fraud in Georgia "consistent with public statements made by known affiliates of the Trump Campaign."
For these reasons, the judge supported District Attorney Fani Willis' claim that he is a "necessary and material witness," in the office's investigation of alleged election interference.
Rudy Giuliani and several other members of the Trump legal team were also subpoenaed to testify before the special grand jury.
Other local officials called to testify include Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Cobb County Elections Director Janine Eveler, and a Trump documentarian, Alex Holder.