Georgia investigation into Trump’s election | Giuliani will not be spared

(Atlanta, Georgia) Lawyers for Rudy Giuliani have been told he is the target of a criminal investigation in Georgia into election interference by Donald Trump and his advisers.

One of Giuliani’s lawyers confirmed in an interview that he was informed on Monday. That same day, a federal judge rejected efforts by another key Trump ally, South Carolina Rep. Lindsey Graham, to avoid testifying before a special grand jury in Atlanta.

Mr. Giuliani, who as Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer led efforts to keep the latter in power, has emerged in recent weeks as a central figure in the investigation led by Fani Willis, the county attorney. of Fulton, which encompasses most of Atlanta.

This summer, prosecutors questioned witnesses before the special grand jury about Giuliani’s appearances before state legislative groups in December 2020, when he spent hours peddling false conspiracy theories about secret suitcases of ballots for the Democrats and doctored voting machines.

For Giuliani, former mayor of New York, these developments are the latest in an ever-expanding series of troubles, although he had some good news recently when it appeared that it was unlikely that he be charged as part of a federal criminal investigation into his ties to Ukraine during the 2020 presidential campaign.

Giuliani is scheduled to appear before the special grand jury on Wednesday at a downtown Atlanta courthouse. His attorney, Robert Costello, said in an interview that Giuliani would likely invoke attorney-client privilege if asked about his dealings with Trump.

The dismissal of Mr. Graham’s efforts to avoid testifying was the subject of a written order from Atlanta District Court Judge Leigh Martin May. Graham is now due to testify on August 23.

The judge found that prosecutors demonstrated that it was necessary in the circumstances to “have Mr. Graham testify on matters related to alleged attempts to influence or disrupt the legal administration of the 2022 election in Georgia.”

Graham’s lawyers said prosecutors informed him he was a witness, not a target.

Prosecutors want to hear his testimony for a number of reasons. Among these are two phone calls the senator made just after the 2020 election to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Mr Graham inquired about ways to help Trump by invalidating certain votes by correspondence.

Investigation on several fronts

Rudy Giuliani’s post-election activities on behalf of Donald Trump have created problems for him on several fronts. The House of Representatives Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill Attack has brought to light video footage of Giuliani’s activities in Georgia, and the plan to create rival electoral rolls also comes to light. increasingly under investigation by the Department of Justice. Giuliani is among those sued by two voting machine makers, Dominion and Smartmatic, who are seeking billions of dollars in damages.

Much of Giuliani’s conduct in Georgia was uncovered last year by the New York State Court of Appeals, which suspended him from the bar. The court released a 33-page report that mentions Georgia 35 times and describes “numerous false and misleading statements regarding Georgia’s presidential election results” made by Giuliani. The court noted, for example, that Giuliani falsely claimed that tens of thousands of minors had voted illegally in Georgia, when an audit of Georgia’s secretary of state found that no one under the age of 18 had voted. voted in the 2020 elections.

Giuliani was also a central figure in the Trump campaign’s plan to get lawmakers in key states to nominate electoral lists different from those chosen by voters, which is part of the Georgia probe as well as the Justice Department investigation.

A spokesperson for the Fulton County Attorney’s Office declined to comment Monday. In the past, Fani Willis has said Georgia’s investigation could result in racketeering or conspiracy charges involving multiple defendants.

Giuliani’s attorneys said he had done nothing improper in Georgia and was willing to cooperate. But they strongly contested the efforts of Mr.^me Willis to testify before the grand jury. Giuliani’s lawyers say a doctor recommended that Giuliani not fly due to an operation he had in early July to insert stents, and they sought to delay his testimony or have him testify by videoconference, an idea that the prosecutor’s office opposed.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert CI McBurney said last week that Giuliani could travel to Atlanta ‘by train, bus or Uber’ and set a date for Wednesday, after agreeing to delay his appearance for more than a week. Giuliani’s lawyers said their client wouldn’t have much to say anyway if he was named as a target of the investigation.

“I think it would be petty to make him a target, to bring him here, especially by these other means of transportation, when there probably won’t be a lot of testimony before the grand jury,” he said. said another attorney for Giuliani, William Thomas Jr., after a court hearing.

On Monday, a reporter asked Mr. Costello what mode of transportation his client would use to travel from New York to Atlanta.

“No comment,” replied Giuliani’s attorney.

At least 17 other people have already been named as likely to be charged in connection with the investigation, including two state senators and the state’s Republican Party leader.

Mr. Graham’s lawyers had based their case on the Constitution’s Speeches and Debates Clause, which allows lawmakers not to be questioned about words they say in the course of their official duties. They also argued, among other things, that Graham, as a high-ranking official, could only be called up in “extraordinary circumstances.”

Judge May ruled that prosecutors had demonstrated the existence of such extraordinary circumstances.

Prosecutors are demanding that two other Trump team lawyers, Jenna Ellis and John Eastman, also appear before the special grand jury. The participation of Ellis, a Colorado resident, will be addressed at a hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Fort Collins, Colorado. A similar hearing will be held for Eastman, a New Mexico resident, in a Santa Fe court on Wednesday.

This article was first published in the New York Times