Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham testified Tuesday before a Fulton County, Georgia Special Grand Jury investigating possible interference with that state’s 2020 election.
Graham, an ally of former President Trump, had gone to constitutional arguments seeking to block a subpoena from the Fulton County district attorney, but earlier this month the Supreme Court cleared the way for his testimony. “Today, Senator Graham appeared before the Fulton County Special Grand Jury for just over two hours and answered all questions,” Graham’s office said in a statement.
“The senator feels that he was treated with respect, professionalism and courtesy. Out of respect for the Grand Jury process, he will not comment on the content of the questions.”
In July a judge approved the subpoena for District Attorney Fani Willis, who expressed interest in hearing from Graham about calls he made to Georgia’s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), after the presidential election in 2020.
Federal judge orders Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify before Georgia Grand Jury
Raffensperger, who also testified before the Grand Jury, said Graham suggested that he should throw out some ballots during one of the calls. In a separate call, Trump lobbied Raffensperger after the election to “find” the roughly 11,000 votes needed to overturn President Biden’s victory in the state, a request Raffensperger resisted when he disagreed with the unsubstantiated claims. of Trump voter fraud.
In September, a federal trial judge blocked Graham from testifying in investigations related to election procedures and allegations of voter fraud in the state, ruling that it constituted “protected legislative activity,” but allowed her appearance to go ahead. Graham appealed the ruling to an Atlanta-based federal appeals court, but a panel upheld the earlier decision, saying the South Carolina Republican could object to specific questions.
Graham then sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, but the justices denied her request.
His appearance on Tuesday marks the latest Trump ally to testify before the Grand Jury.
