Fulton County subpoenas Rudy Giuliani, Lindsey Graham in probe into election interference

Giuliani and others advised Trump on ways to overturn the 2020 election.

July 6, 2022, 4:12 PM

The Fulton County special grand jury investigating possible criminal interference in Georgia's 2020 elections issued subpoenas Tuesday for Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and several others in former President Donald Trump's orbit.

Others who were issued subpoenas include John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell, Kenneth Chesbro and Jenna Ellis, all of whom advised Trump on ways to overturn President Joe Biden's win in Georgia.

The special grand jury also subpoenaed attorney and podcast host Jacki Pick Deason.

The development was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Graham said on Wednesday that he intends to challenge the subpoena, according to a statement by his attorneys that was shared with ABC News.

"In my conversations with Fulton County investigators, I have been informed Senator Graham is neither a subject nor target of the investigation, simply a witness," said attorneys Bart Daniel and Matt Austin. "This is all politics. Fulton County is engaged in a fishing expedition and working in concert with the January 6 Committee in Washington. Any information from an interview or deposition with Senator Graham would immediately be shared with the January 6 Committee."

"As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Graham was well within his rights to discuss with state officials the processes and procedures around administering elections," the attorneys said. "Should it stand, the subpoena issued today would erode the constitutional balance of power and the ability of a Member of Congress to do their job. Senator Graham plans to go to court, challenge the subpoena, and expects to prevail."

PHOTO: Rudy Giuliani appears in support of his son, New York Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Andrew Giuliani, at an election night watch party in Manhattan on June 28, 2022, in New York City.
Rudy Giuliani appears in support of his son, New York Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Andrew Giuliani, at an election night watch party in Manhattan on June 28, 2022, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images, FILE

Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, testified in front of Georgia lawmakers on several occasions in late 2020.

Eastman, who part of a plan to push then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the official slate of Democratic electors in Georgia and other battleground states, also testified in front of Georgia's legislators following the election, saying that there was "more than enough" evidence of fraud to warrant a different slate of electors.

At the end of its investigation, the special grand jury conducting the probe will, if appropriate, make recommendations to prosecutors, who would then need to decide whether to pursue any charges.

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