Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman subpoenaed in Fulton grand jury probe

The Fulton County special grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia has subpoenaed two of then-President Donald Trump’s top lawyers and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, according to court filings.

Subpoenas for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, Trump campaign lawyer John Eastman, and Graham, R-S.C., were issued late last month and early this month and signed by Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the special grand jury.

The subpoenas cite appearances by Giuliani and Eastman before members of the state Senate in December 2020 in which they blamed Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia on widespread voter fraud, allegations that have been disproven.

Giuliani presented a video of election workers at State Farm Area in Atlanta producing “suitcases” of unlawful ballots, a video that was quickly debunked by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office.

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Eastman urged Georgia lawmakers to replace the Democratic Party’s slate of presidential electors due to unfounded claims of election fraud, according to his subpoena. He also drafted a plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to count some of the Electoral College votes for Biden during the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress that was interrupted by an attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

Graham made at least two phone calls to Raffensperger and members of his staff during the weeks following the election urging them to reexamine certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia “to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome” for Trump, according to his subpoena.

Fulton District Attorney Fanni Willis’ office has been investigating Trump’s efforts to reverse Biden’s victory in Georgia for months. However, the special grand jury wasn’t impaneled until May to subpoena witnesses and begin hearing evidence.

Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr appeared before the special grand jury last month.

Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to give video testimony later this month.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

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