South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is asking a federal judge to stay a decision requiring him to appear next week before a Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury until he can appeal, according to a new court filing.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is asking a federal judge to stay a decision requiring him to appear next week before a Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury until he can appeal, according to a new court filing.
Graham has argued that he should not be forced to testify before the grand jury, which is investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 results, because his actions surrounding Georgia’s election were related to legislative activity and should be protected under the Speech and Debate clause.
Federal Judge Leigh Martin May denied Graham’s motion to quash his subpoena, and he was scheduled to appear before the grand jury on August 23. He asked the judge to stay her decision, saying in a court filing, “Senator Graham will suffer irreparable harm if forced to appear before his appeal concludes.”
The judge has given Fulton County prosecutors until Friday at 9 a.m. ET to respond to Graham’s motion to stay her ruling.
Graham’s attorneys have argued that his calls to Georgia officials after the 2020 election were legislative activity that were directly related to his committee responsibilities as the then-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
