Giuliani Eastman Graham Among Those Subpoenaed In Georgia Election Probe

title: “Giuliani Eastman Graham Among Those Subpoenaed In Georgia Election Probe " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-22” author: “Jeffrey Gould”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is leading the investigation into Trump’s actions in Georgia. Several state officials have already been subpoenaed and appeared before the special grand jury. But the latest series of subpoenas marks a new phase, as the grand jury seeks testimony from witnesses who were members of Trump’s inner circle. Willis has investigated potential crimes including incitement to vote fraud, false statements, conspiracy, extortion and threats related to election administration. The special court does not hand down charges, but rather collects evidence and issues a report on whether Trump or any of his allies should face charges. If indicted, Willis could then be indicted by a regularly seated grand jury in Fulton County.
The grand jury wants to hear from Graham because the Republican senator allegedly made two phone calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff in the wake of the 2020 election. According to court records, Graham “asked Secretary Raffensperger and his staff regarding the review of certain absentee ballots cast in Georgia to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome for former President Donald Trump.” The filing also says Graham raised allegations of widespread voter fraud, which have been widely debunked. A representative for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Giuliani is one of a handful of witnesses subpoenaed to appear before Georgia state lawmakers in December 2020. During his appearance in early December, Giuliani provided testimony, witnesses and so-called evidence of voter fraud, according to court filings. Even after those allegations were investigated and dismissed, Giuliani “made additional statements, both in public and in subsequent legislative hearings, alleging widespread voter fraud in Georgia during the November 2020 election,” regurgitating the same evidence that had rejected in the past, according to court filings. “There is evidence that the Witness’ appearance and testimony at the hearing was part of a coordinated multi-state plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere,” according to the court filings. Bob Costello, Giuliani’s attorney, said his client has not yet received a subpoena and declined to comment further. The grand jury also wants to hear from Ellis about her appearance before Georgia lawmakers negotiating allegations of voter fraud, court records show. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Likewise, Willis’ team called Jacki Pick Deason, whom court records described as an attorney for the Trump campaign’s legal efforts. Deason presented heavily edited video before Georgia lawmakers at that December 2020 hearing that purported to show election officials producing “suitcases” of illegal ballots, according to court filings. That claim was investigated by state election officials and quickly proved to be false. Deason “possesses unique knowledge of communications between herself, the Trump campaign and other known and unknown individuals involved in coordinated multi-state efforts to influence the results of the 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere,” according to the court filings.
Willis also scrutinized the plot to try to present a false slate of pro-Trump voters in Georgia. In the latest round of subpoenas, investigators expressed interest in hearing from both Eastman and Chesebro about their alleged roles in promoting the fraudulent election scheme. Eastman testified before Georgia lawmakers in December 2020, during which he “advised lawmakers that they had both the legal authority and ‘duty’ to replace the Democratic Party’s list of presidential electors” and made unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, according to court filings. An attorney for Eastman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chesebro allegedly coordinated with the Georgia Republican Party and Trump campaign officials to help prepare the fake voter plate. According to court documents, Chesebro provided a Microsoft Word template for Georgia Republicans to use at a December 2020 meeting where they cast their fake Electoral College votes. Chesebro also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mitchell is interested in the grand jury because she was on the now-infamous phone call where Trump pushed Raffensperger to “find” the nearly 12,000 votes needed for Trump to win the Peach State, which he lost to Joe Biden. Mitchell also made allegations of voter fraud during the call, the court filing noted. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This story has been updated with additional details.