A judge has ordered US Senator Lindsey Graham to testify before a Special Grand Jury in Georgia investigating former President Donald Trump’s attempts to rig the 2020 election results.
A federal judge in Fulton, Georgia, Robert McBurney, ordered Graham to testify on August 2. The judge’s certification, filed Monday, described him as a “necessary and material witness” for the Special Grand Jury investigation.
The senator’s lawyers said last week that he would not comply with that subpoena, which also includes members of Trump’s former legal team, and especially the former president’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
The investigation was launched after Trump was recorded in a January 2, 2021 phone call pressuring the Georgia Secretary of State not to recognize the state’s election results.
Fulton County, Georgia Special Grand Jury Summons Giuliani and Other Trump Surrogates
During the phone call, Trump urged Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, to find enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
The transcript of the call shows Trump telling Raffensperger, “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” the number he needed to win Georgia.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the phone call. But legal experts have said he may have violated at least three state election laws: conspiracy to commit voter fraud, criminal solicitation to commit voter fraud and intentional interference with the performance of electoral duties.