Judge decides US senator Graham has to appear in Trump 2020 election investigation
Date
8/16/2022 6:25:47 AM
(MENAFN) US Senator Lindsey Graham has to appear ahead of a grand jury in Georgia state, which is inspecting likely 2020 election interference by previous President Donald Trump, as a federal judge decided on Monday.
"The Court finds that there are considerable areas of potential grand jury inquiry falling outside the Speech or Debate Clause’s protections," Judge Leigh Martin May stated in the 22-page decision.
Graham's attorneys claimed that a post-election telephone conversation Graham made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in November two years ago had a legislative drive and so was hidden by the Speech and Debate clause.
On the other hand, May opposed that the grand jury has been impaneled to “investigat[e] the facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to possible attempts to disrupt the lawful administration of the 2020 elections in the State of Georgia.”
The judge also declined the idea that sovereign immunity saved Graham from having to appear as he is a sitting US senator.
"Sovereign immunity fails to shield Senator Graham from testifying before the Special Purpose Grand Jury," May's decision went on.
"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 no matter the circumstances. The law would give them complete immunity based solely on their status as federal officials."
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