JUST IN: Lindsey Graham to Testify in Trump Georgia Election Interference Probe After Losing Appeal

Kipp JonesOct 20th, 2022, 5:38 pm

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) must testify before a Georgia grand jury investigating election interference after an appellate court ruled against him Thursday.

Graham had previously been ordered to speak to a court about an alleged scheme to deny electoral votes to then-candidate Joe Biden after he narrowly won the state in 2020. He filed an appeal with a federal court, which was denied, the Washington Post reported:

Graham’s lawyers had asked the court to block a subpoena from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D), claiming that a sitting senator is shielded from such investigations. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit denied Graham’s request and upheld a lower-court ruling narrowing the range of questions prosecutors can ask.

The court ruled Graham’s claims to privilege were without merit in a six-page ruling.

“Senator Graham has failed to demonstrate that this approach will violate his rights under the Speech and Debate Clause,” the 11th Circuit Court stated.

Graham has yet to exhaust the appeals process and has offered no indication if he intends to continue to fight testimony.

Willis is investigating whether former President Donald Trump or others committed crimes when they attempted to deny Biden Georgia’s 16 electoral votes.

Graham was ordered by a court to testify last month while the scope of some questions was ordered to be limited. The Post reported:

[]The judge limited the range of questions that prosecutors can ask, partly acknowledging Graham’s claim that his status as a sitting senator provides protection against such inquiries.

Graham’s lawyers had sought to throw out the subpoena from the Georgia grand jury, arguing that his calls to Georgia officials after the 2020 election were part of his official Senate duties and thus immune from the probe.

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