Graham had argued that his position as a senator made him exempt from testifying before the grand jury.

Senator Lindsey Graham Speaks On President Trump's Announcement Of Troop Withdrawal In Syria

The senator from South Carolina spoke during a press conference.

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According to the ruling, there were extraordinary circumstances and a special need for Graham to testify about attempts to influence or disrupt the lawful administration of Georgia's 2020 elections.

Lawyers for Graham argued that a provision in the constitution gave him protection against being investigated about legislative efforts, but a judge disagreed.

The judge rejected Graham's claim that he could not be compelled to testify.

A representative for Graham didn't reply to a question from Forbes.

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The ruling came after a Georgia judge ordered Rudy Giuliani to testify before the same grand jury after the former New York mayor tried to delay his testimony because of medical issues. After failing to show up at a hearing about the challenge, Giuliani lost his attempt to challenge the grand jury subpoena.

Key Background

The special grand jury investigation was launched by the district attorney. A number of people close to Trump have been subpoenaed by the panel. There are questions about a phone call between Graham and Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom Trump pressured to find enough votes to overturn Biden's victory in the state. The secretary of state concluded that the attempt to throw out legally cast ballots was an attempt to reject Absentee Ballots. Graham made at least two phone calls to Raffensperger and his team and referenced allegations of widespread voter fraud like those peddled by Trump and his team. A separate grand jury would need to indict Trump or anyone else involved if it were to issue a report that recommended criminal charges.

It's ridiculous. The law needs to be weaponized to be effective. The courts will be used. Graham told reporters last week that he would go as far as necessary to make sure that people like him could do their jobs without fear.

Giuliani must appear next week before a grand jury.

The judge said that Sen. Graham must testify.