Rudy Giuliani ordered to testify before Georgia grand jury in Trump election probe

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, Texas (AA) - Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's personal attorney, was ordered by a New York judge Wednesday to testify before a Georgia special grand jury investigating possible election tampering in that state during the 2020 elections.

According to a filing from Georgia's Fulton County Superior Court, Giuliani was ordered to appear before the grand jury on Aug. 9 "and on any such other dates as this court may order" regarding potential election interference by the Trump team.

At a hearing of a Georgia state Senate subcommittee on Dec. 30, 2020, Giuliani presented a video of election workers which he claimed showed them producing “suitcases” of unlawful ballots outside the view of election poll monitors.

"There is evidence that (Giuliani’s) appearance and testimony at the hearing was part of a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere,” according to a subpoena filed earlier this month.

The order came after Giuliani failed to appear at a July 13 hearing before the judge to challenge the subpoena as a "material witness" for his testimony in the investigation. Since Giuliani is a New York resident, his summons was moved to that state.

According to the subpoena, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating any “coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections.”

The court filing alleges that Giuliani made statements at legislative hearings in Georgia falsely claiming that there had been "widespread voter fraud," which contributed to Trump's attempts to undermine the 2020 election.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was also subpoenaed earlier this month along with Trump's other former legal advisers, including John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell, Jenna Ellis and Kenneth Chesebro.

In addition, several Georgia state officials have already been subpoenaed and have testified before the special grand jury.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that Willis has also notified all 16 people who signed an "unofficial electoral certificate" that they may be indicted in the probe. That election document was sent to the National Archives in late 2020.​​​​​​​

Possible criminal charges are pending against those believed to be involved in the election tampering effort, with the probe suggesting that Trump himself may eventually be brought into the fray of the investigation.