Sen. Lindsey Graham scores win in Georgia election case as appeals court blocks subpoena

Sen. Lindsey Graham was given a momentary legal win Sunday by a federal appeals court that pumped the brakes on the Republican lawmaker complying with a subpoena from a Georgia grand jury investigating election interference.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Graham’s request to block the subpoena in a two-page decision, saying prosecutors must sort out whether the South Carolina senator is protected from answering certain questions.

At issue is Graham’s involvement in trying to persuade Georgia election officials about the 2020 contest.

In the weeks following the election, Graham called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff twice, seeking additional review of the absentee ballots, according to court documents filed in support of the subpoena request.

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Graham has asserted that he was engaging in legitimate inquiries as a lawmaker under the Constitution's speech and debate clause when he contacted Georgia officials. He has denied claims that he was pressuring officials to exclude ballots, saying he was attempting to understand the method for which different states examine ballots.

Georgia was ground zero for former President Donald Trump's false assertions about the election. He had called Raffensperger, demanding the secretary of state find more votes to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the state.

The appeals court ruling on Sunday follows a district judge's decision last week that denied Graham's bid to avoid testifying, saying Georgia prosecutors had "shown extraordinary circumstances and a special need" for Graham’s testimony.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lindsey Graham's Georgia grand jury subpoena blocked by appeals court