Georgia’s prosecutor attempted to get several Republicans before a grand jury about alleged attempts at interference in Georgia’s election. This included U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.
A South Carolina Republican had been fighting the order of testifying fiercely. However, he won a temporary victory on Sunday.
Graham asked that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals stop the subpoena. Graham requested that the Atlanta federal district court judge deny Graham’s request not to testify on Sunday. The rejection was made because the local grand jury is in violation of federal lawmaker protections.
The appeals court ruled that Graham’s lawyers, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wiis, had to present arguments about whether Graham is entitled to federal courts placing legal guardrails around any questioning Graham may face. He dismissed the arguments Graham’s team made in violation of the Constitution’s speech clause, or debate clause. This clause exempts legislators from all legal consequences for actions directly related to their lawmaking responsibilities.
Graham is being questioned by investigators about two conversations he had with Georgia election officials during Trump’s attempt to reverse his defeat.
Graham was involved with Georgia, and it has been a disaster. The state’s attorneys have been trying to get Trump charged in the 2020 election mess. They expect Graham’s testimony will help them move closer to that goal.
This temporary block was placed in place the same week that Georgia’s Peach State prosecutors canceled a recorded sworn interview with Brian Kemp. The prosecutors then demanded that Kemp testifies in person at the last minute of an election.
This prosecutor was the one that the judge had the need to discipline. He was investigating someone, then appearing at fundraisers for his political rival.
Fulton County Superior Judge Robert C. I. McBurney was critical of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hosting a fundraiser to support Charlie Bailey (Democratic opponent of GOP state Senator Burt Jones).
Jones is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. Willis’ office has notified him that he is one of the targets in the special grand juries looking into former President Donald Trump’s election interference.
Tamar Hallerman, AJC’s Tamar reported this week that Jones asked that Willis be disqualified from the case because of the fundraiser. Tamar however wrote harsh words about Willis.
Democrats use this political mess to confuse the waters.
