ATLANTA — A federal judge in Atlanta on Thursday ruled that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina still must appear before a special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies.
U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May, for the second time, rejected requests from Graham’s legal team to quash the summons for the senator’s testimony in its entirety. But May did say Graham cannot be asked about “investigatory fact-finding” during his calls to the Secretary of State’s office and how they relate to his vote to certify the 2020 presidential election.
May said this area of inquiry is protected under the Constitution’s speech or debate clause, which shields members of Congress from testifying about anything related to official legislative business.
