Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked the Supreme Court on Friday to release him from testifying in an investigation into possible interference by former President Trump in the 2020 election in Georgia.
His request came a day after a lower appeals court refused to stop his testimony before a Fulton County, Georgia Special Grand Jury. The three-judge panel said Graham “has failed to show that he is likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal.”
In court papers filed Friday before Judge Clarence Thomas, who deals with emergency matters emanating from the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Graham urged the Supreme Court to determine that current constitutional protections for lawmakers should prevent them from is forced to comply with a subpoena issued by prosecutor Fani Willis.
USA: panel of judges rejects the request of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham
“Without a warrant to the contrary, Senator Lindsey Graham will soon be questioned by a local Georgia prosecutor and her investigative body. ad hoc related to the 2020 election,” Graham’s attorneys wrote. “This will occur despite the Constitution’s mandate that senators ‘shall not be questioned’ on ‘any speech or debate.'”
Graham is among several high-profile figures Willis has cited as part of his investigation. He also cited a group of Republicans who served as a fake list of pro-Trump voters in 2020.
Trump’s effort to circumvent the will of voters in Georgia and a handful of other swing states that he lost to President Biden in the 2020 election sparked congressional investigations and is listed in multiple criminal investigations, including by the Justice Department. and the Fulton County District Attorney.