Rudy Giuliani told he’s a target of Trump’s Georgia election interference probe, According to Rudy Giuliani’s attorney, who spoke with NBC News, Rudy Giuliani is a “target” of the ongoing criminal investigation into suspected electoral involvement in Georgia in 2020 by former President Donald Trump and others.
The attorney, Robert Costello, stated that Georgia prosecutors initially notified New York courts that Rudy Giuliani was a material witness as part of their efforts to compel Giuliani’s testimony. This was done as part of their efforts to compel Giuliani’s testimony. However, Costello stated that Giuliani’s legal team was informed on Monday that their client is a “target” of the investigation.
Last week, a judge mandated that Rudy Giuliani, a former personal attorney for Donald Trump and a former mayor of New York City, appear in person in front of the grand jury that is considering the case on Wednesday.
In July, the grand jury investigating “coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections” issued a subpoena for Rudy Giuliani to appear before it as a material witness as part of its investigation into the matter. The subpoena was issued by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. According to the subpoena, Giuliani lied during testimony given during legislative hearings in Georgia, asserting falsely that there had been “widespread voter fraud” in the state.
After Giuliani did not show up to a hearing on July 13 to challenge the subpoena, the judge decided that he should have to testify anyway. On Monday, Costello stated that Giuliani has not changed his mind about testifying in front of the grand jury this week. The information that Giuliani had been informed that he was a target of the investigation was initially reported by the New York Times.
In the meantime, on Monday, a federal court rejected Senator Lindsey Graham’s request to dismiss a subpoena that requested his testimony in connection with the probe in Georgia.
Graham’s arguments against being required to testify in front of a special grand jury were rejected by U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May in Atlanta in an order that was 22 pages long. Graham’s contention that the speech and debate clause of the Constitution protects the South Carolina Republican from providing testimony was one of the arguments that were rejected.
Graham’s legal team had maintained that a phone conversation their client made after the election to the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in November 2020 served a legislative function and was therefore protected by the clause.
Graham’s claim that his current position as a senator affords him sovereign immunity and exempts him from having to testify was another one of his arguments that the judge did not buy.
According to what May wrote in her opinion piece, “if the court were to accept Senator Graham’s sovereign immunity argument, it would mean that U.S. senators would not be required to testify before state grand juries under any circumstances.” Graham had argued that U.S. senators are immune from state prosecution due to the nation’s “sovereign immunity.” “Simply by virtue of the fact that they hold federal positions, they would be granted entire immunity under the law.”
Last but not least, the judge stated that Graham’s justification for being excluded from testifying due to the fact that he is a high-ranking officer does not have any weight. May stated that Graham’s testimony is necessary because he has “unique personal knowledge about the substance and circumstances of the phone calls with Georgia election officials, as well as the logistics of setting them up and his actions afterward.” This knowledge is due to the fact that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has demonstrated that “extraordinary circumstances” necessitated the testimony of Graham.
“Senator Graham’s potential testimony on these issues — in addition to his knowledge about topics outside of the calls such as his alleged coordination with the Trump campaign before and after the calls are unique to Senator Graham, and Senator Graham has not suggested that anyone else from his office can speak to these issues or has unique personal knowledge of them,” the order said. “Senator Graham has not suggested that anyone else from his office can speak to these issues or has unique personal knowledge of them.”
The office of Graham has issued a statement in which they confirm he will be appealing the judge’s judgment.
According to the statement, “The Constitution’s speech or debate clause forbids a municipal authority from confronting a senator about how that senator handled his job.” “In this instance, Senator Graham was carrying out his research in preparation for the vote on the certification of the Electoral Count Act, in which he cast his vote in favor of certifying the election. Senator Graham intends to file an appeal with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals because the district judge, despite the fact that she acknowledged that speech or debate may protect some of the senator’s activities, ignored both the constitutional text and the precedential rulings that are binding from the Supreme Court.”
Willis is conducting an investigation into the call Graham placed to Raffensperger in the days following the election in November of 2020. Raffensperger has stated that Graham questioned him about whether he had the authority to reject some absentee ballots. This, according to Raffensperger, was perceived by Raffensperger as a recommendation to throw out votes that had been properly cast.
Graham’s testimony was sought in this matter, and the subpoena that was issued to him stated that he “made at least two telephone calls” to Raffensperger and his staff. “During the phone discussions, [Graham] questioned Secretary Raffensperger and his team about the idea of reexamining specific absentee ballots that were cast in Georgia in order to investigate the prospect of a result that was more favorable for former President Donald Trump. In addition, [Graham] made a reference to suspicions of extensive voter fraud in the election that will take place in Georgia in November 2020. These charges are in line with public statements made by known associates of the Trump Campaign “according to the subpoena.