There is a city in the state of Florida called Sarasota. A judge in Florida ordered Flynn to testify before a grand jury in Atlanta that is looking into whether Donald Trump and his associates tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.
Flynn was ordered to testify by the chief judge of the county.
Attorneys for Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who served briefly as national security adviser under Trump, had argued that the special grand jury's investigation was not a criminal matter. They argued that Flynn shouldn't be forced to testify.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said that the special grand jury is a criminal proceeding. Flynn was certified as a needed and material witness.
Roberts said that Flynn is a material witness. The judge denied the motion to stay the ruling.
There is no hardship according to Roberts.
Flynn spoke only in response to the judge's questions, and did not answer reporters' questions afterwards. Flynn lives outside Georgia so he had to be ordered to comply by a judge in Florida.
One of the most significant legal threats to the former president is the investigation led by the Fulton County District Attorney. Several high-profile Trump associates have been asked to testify in the investigation.
Giuliani testified in August that he could face criminal charges in the investigation. MarkMeadows and Newt Gingrich have been ordered to testify. Gingrich's ruling was appealed on Monday.
Cassidy Hutchinson is expected to testify before the grand jury. In June, Hutchinson gave testimony before the U.S. House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr have testified before the grand jury. The governor left the courthouse Tuesday after he was allowed to delay his appearance until after the election. The state officials got calls from Trump after the election.
In a December 2020 interview with a right-wing cable news channel, Flynn said that Trump could take military capabilities and place them in swing states and re-run the election.
According to news reports, Flynn met with Trump, Powell and others associated with the Trump campaign for a meeting that focused on topics including martial law, seizing voting machines, and appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate the 2020 election.
He attended meetings at the home of Lin Wood. Wood told a television interviewer that they met to look into ways to influence the election results. He testified before the grand jury.
The investigation began early last year after a recording of a phone call between Trump and Raffensperger became public. The Republican president told Raffensperger to find the votes to overturn his narrow loss in the state.
The scope of the investigation has grown since then, and a special grand jury with subpoena power was seated in May to compel testimony. Witness testimony is not open to the public on the grand jury.
In Georgia, special grand juries are used to investigate complex cases. They can subpoena witnesses, but can't indict them. Once the investigation is complete, a special grand jury can make a recommendation, but it's up to the district attorney to make a decision on whether to indict.
That's right.
There was a person reporting from Atlanta. Eric Tucker wrote for the Associated Press.
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