Ex- U. S. attorney seeks probe of Graham’s call

A former U. S. attorney has asked the Georgia State Election Board to investigate U. S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, saying he pressed the state’s top election official to interfere in the presidential election.

Last month Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Graham, a South Carolina Republican, called him and asked whether he had t he power t o reject more absentee ballots as election officials conducted a recount and audit of the presidential race.

The secretary said Graham appeared to be suggesting that he find a way to reject legally cast ballots to help President Donald Trump win reelection.

Graham denied encouraging Raffensperger to reject legal votes. He said he was merely asking how Georgia’s signature- matching process worked and said he was not asked to contact the secretary by Trump.

In a letter dated Thursday, Atlanta attorney Michael J. Moore asked the State Election Board to investigate whether Graham had violated Georgia law.

“I am particularly concerned t hat the chairman of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee would make any attempt to interfere with the Georgia Secretary of State as he endeavored to lawfully perform his constitutional duties in overseeing the 2020 election and the counting, and recounting, of the votes cast in the state of Georgia,” Moore wrote.

He also asked the board to investigate any attempt by Graham to discard lawful ballots cast for the upcoming Jan. 5 U. S. Senate runoff election.

Moore was appointed U. S. attorney for Middle Georgia by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2010. He joined an Atlanta law firm in 2015.

Three attorneys last month filed a complaint against Graham with the U. S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics over the same incident.