Article Author:
Associated Press
Kate Blumback
Atlanta (AP) — Rudy Giuliani An Atlanta court testifying before a special grand jury investigating attempts by former President Donald Trump and others to overturn America's 2020 election loss.
It is unclear how willing the former New York City mayor and Trump attorney will be to speak out now that his attorney has been informed he is under investigation. The hearing will be conducted behind closed doors on Wednesday, as grand jury procedures are confidential.
But Giuliani's emergence is another high-profile step in a rapidly escalating investigation that has pitted several Trump supporters against Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election campaign. A desperate and ultimately unsuccessful effort to overturn the victory brought increased scrutiny. This is his one of several investigations into Trump's behavior during his tenure as he lays the groundwork for his 2024 run for the White House again. A phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger in 2021. In a call, Trump suggested that Raffensperger could "find" the exact number of votes needed to overturn the election results in Georgia.
Trump cheated deny the action. He described the phone as "perfect."
Willis filed a petition last month to compel testimony from seven Trump associates and advisers. She also says she is considering calling Trump himself to testify, and the former president has hired a team of attorneys in Atlanta that includes a high-profile criminal defense attorney. Willis said he was Trump's personal attorney and the lead attorney for the 2020 campaign.
In her petition, she recalled how Giuliani and others attended his late 2020 state Senate committee meeting, and Giuliani says election officials of unknown origin. presented a video of him making a “suitcase” of illegal ballots. Election vote watcher. The fraud allegations were debunked by Georgia election officials within 24 hours. Still, Giuliani continued to make public statements, alleging widespread election fraud using the debunked videos in subsequent legislative hearings, Willis noted in her filing.
Two election officials pictured in the video, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shay” Moss, were subjected to persistent online and in-person harassment after the video was shown in Georgia on December 3. said to have faced Legislative hearings in which Giuliani appeared. At another hearing a week later, Mr Giuliani said the women were seen "secretly walking past USB ports as if they were vials of heroin or cocaine". They were actually handing out candy.
Willis said Giuliani's attendance and testimony at the hearings was "a multi-state campaign by the Trump campaign to influence the outcome of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere." "Part of a coordinated plan by
Willis also said in a petition seeking testimony from attorney Kenneth Chesebro that he worked with Giuliani to coordinate and carry out a plan to make Georgia Republicans false electors. These 16 people falsely claimed that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election, and that despite Biden winning the state and the Democratic electoral rolls being certified, the state's have signed a certificate declaring themselves to be “qualified” electors.
Giuliani's attorneys tried to delay his appearance before a special grand jury, claiming he was unable to fly because he underwent surgery for a heart stent in early July. Stated.
But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the special grand jury, said at a hearing last week that Giuliani would need to be in Atlanta on Wednesday, and if needed He said he could travel by bus, car or train.
Other Trump allies are also involved in the investigation. Sen. South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham received a subpoena ordering her to appear to testify on August 23. A judge on Monday dismissed his argument, saying he must testify. Graham said he would appeal.
Willis indicated interest in a phone call between Graham and Raffensberger about the results in Georgia in the weeks following the election.
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}More on Donald Trump related research: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump
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