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| Photo Credit: AP. |
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has been ordered by a Georgia Judge to comply with a subpoena issued as part of an inquiry led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state, the Washington Examiner reports.
In a ruling,
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said Graham would be
required to appear before a special
purpose grand jury investigating the actions of former President Donald trump
and his allies on August 2, “continuing through and until the conclusion” of
the witness testimony on or before August 13, according to the Washington
Examiner.
"The
court finds that the Witness, based on the substance and timing of the
telephone calls he personally made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger, is a necessary and material witness in this investigation,"
McBurney wrote in a court filing Monday reported by Fox 5 Atlanta, according to
the Washington Examiner. "The Witness's anticipated testimony is essential
in that it is likely to reveal additional sources of information regarding the
subject of this investigation."
Graham’s
subpoena highlighted that he had two known calls with Raffensperger following
the 2020 election incorrectly disputed by former President Donald Trump as marred
by widespread voter fraud.
"During
the telephone calls, the witness 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 former President Donald
Trump," the subpoena reads.
Lawyers
representing Graham described the subpoena earlier this month as “all politics”
and an erosion of the balance of powers.
"As
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Graham was well within his
rights to discuss with state officials the processes and procedures around
administering elections," his lawyers, Bart Daniel and Matt Austin, said
in a statement, according to the Washington Examiner.
Willis has
been reportedly examining whether Trump or his allies committed crimes during
the fallout of the election by improperly seeking to overturn the election in
the state thought contacts with election officials.