Lindsey Graham Files Motion to Resist Subpoena Compelling Testimony in Georgia 2020 Election Probe
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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has filed a motion in federal court to resist a subpoena compelling testimony in the Georgia probe into former president Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election, arguing that he played no role and that the order infringes on constitutional protections for members of Congress.
The Fulton County judge’s order, which Graham received last week, demanded that he appear in court before a grand jury to explain his two alleged phone calls to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in November 2020 as the election unfolded. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis secured approval for a special grand jury in January in order to “investigate any and all facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to possible attempts to disrupt the lawful administration of the 2020 elections in the State of Georgia.”
Judge Robert McBurney, calling Graham a “necessary and material witness,” said the grand jury wanted to scrutinize these calls more closely. During the calls, Graham allegedly asked Raffensperger to begin by “reexamining certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia in order to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome for former President Donald Trump.”
Graham claims he had no involvement in Trump’s efforts, in the lead up to the official election certification, to “find” enough votes — votes that Trump believed had been mistakenly counted for Biden, such as votes lacking a signature match — to carry him to a win in Georgia.
“Senator Graham did not inject himself into Georgia’s electoral process, and never tried to alter the outcome of any election. The conversation was about absentee ballots and Georgia’s procedures,” the motion to fight the subpoena reads. It was filed Tuesday in federal court in South Carolina, which Graham represents in the Senate.
Graham’s motion claims that the subpoena would force members of Congress to neglect their official job responsibilities under a clause of the Constitution stating that for “any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.”
“What I’m trying to do is do my day job. If we open up county prosecutors being able to call every member of the Senate based on some investigation they think is good for the country, we’re opening Pandora’s Box,” Graham told Fox News in a statement.
