Graham testifies before Ga. grand jury
S.C. senator questioned about whether Trump, associates meddled in elections
ATLANTA — After months of failed legal challenges, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appeared Tuesday before a special grand jury investigating efforts by former president Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Mr. Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia, the latest highprofile witness in a probe that is believed to be nearing a conclusion.
A sheriff said that Mr. Graham entered Fulton County Courthouse around 8 a.m. to appear before the grand jury, which is hearing testimony in private. Kevin Bishop, a spokesman for Mr. Graham, later said in a statement the senator testified for “just over two hours and answered all questions.”
“The senator feels he was treated with respect, professionalism and courtesy. Out of respect for the grand jury process, he will not comment on the substance of the questions,” Mr. Bishop said.
A spokesman for the Fulton County district attorney’s office, which is leading the investigation, did not respond to a request for comment.
Graham’s testimony followed an extended legal challenge to block his appearance that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which this month declined to overturn lower court rulings requiring him to appear.
The South Carolina Republican and Mr. Trump confidant was first subpoenaed in July, as Fulton County prosecutors sought to question Mr. Graham about phone calls he made to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, in the weeks after the 2020 election, and other issues related to the election.
Mr. Trump personally urged Mr. Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in the state, where Mr. Biden claimed victory by fewer than 12,000 votes. Mr. Trump has insisted that the election there was marred by fraud, although multiple legal inquiries have found no evidence of that.
Mr. Raffensperger later told The Washington Post he felt pressured by other Republicans, including Mr.
Graham, who he said echoed Mr. Trump’s claims about voting irregularities in the state. He claimed that Mr. Graham, on one call, appeared to be asking him to find a way to set aside legally cast ballots.
Mr. Graham and his attorneys have strongly rejected that characterization, describing the senator’s interactions with Mr. Raffensperger as “investigatory phone calls” that were meant to inform his decision-making on whether to vote to certify the election for Mr. Biden and to inform other Senate work.
In court filings, Mr. Graham claimed that his actions were legitimate legislative activity protected by the Constitution’s “speech or debate clause” and that he should not be required to answer questions from a grand jury.
In September, U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May ruled that Fulton County prosecutors could not question Mr. Graham about portions of his calls that were legislative factfinding.
But Judge May cleared the way for prosecutors to question Mr. Graham about his coordination with the Trump campaign on post-election efforts in Georgia. The judge also said Mr. Graham also could be asked about his public statements about the 2020 election and “any alleged efforts to ‘cajole’ or encourage” Georgia election officials “to throw out ballots or otherwise alter Georgia’s election practices and procedures.”