Lindsey Graham testimony in Georgia DA's Trump 2020 election probe delayed again despite Supreme Court order
Graham's testimony in Georgia's DA probe pushed back once again
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's scheduled hearing before a Fulton County grand jury was delayed again on Thursday, despite the Supreme Court earlier this month clearing the way for his testimony in a Georgia district attorney's probe looking into former President Trump and his associates for potential 2020 election law violations.
Graham’s initial hearing, scheduled for Thursday in Atlanta, was pushed back five days.
It is now scheduled to proceed on Nov. 22, FOX 5 DC reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Nov. 1, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a temporary hold on Graham's appearance before a Fulton County special grand jury. However, in an unsigned order, the justices noted that Graham still could raise objections to some questions.
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The new order dissolved a temporary hold that Justice Clarence Thomas placed on the testimony while he and his colleagues weighed the arguments.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Sept. 13, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
It read, "Today, the Supreme Court confirmed that the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause applies here. They also affirmed that Senator Graham may return to the District Court if the District Attorney tries to ask questions about his constitutionally protected activities. The Senator's legal team intends to engage with the District Attorney s office on next steps to ensure respect for this constitutional immunity."
Fulton County Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis poses for a photo in her office in Atlanta, Jan. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)
Graham, a four-term senator who last won re-election in 2020, was first subpoenaed in July by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Willis had been ramping up the probe ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, anticipating an announcement by former President Trump that he would run for a second term in 2024.
The district attorney initially opened her investigation shortly after a recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was made public. In that call, Trump suggested Raffensperger could "find" the votes needed to overturn his narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Willis wants to question Graham about two phone calls he made to Raffensperger and his staff in the weeks following the election. During those calls, Graham asked about "reexamining certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia in order to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome for former President Donald Trump," Willis wrote in a petition seeking to compel his testimony.
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Graham also "made reference to allegations of widespread voter fraud in the November 2020 election in Georgia, consistent with public statements made by known affiliates of the Trump Campaign," she wrote. In an October hearing, Willis said that Graham may be able to provide insight into the extent of any coordinated efforts to influence the results.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.