Giuliani’s attorney said Monday that the special prosecutor in Atlanta sent out notice that the former New York mayor is being investigated by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. It’s the latest step in an investigation that moves ever closer to former President Trump. Ms Willis said she was considering subpoenaing Mr Trump himself to testify before the special grand jury. All of this is separate from the federal investigation of Mr. Trump and the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Giuliani is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a special grand jury in Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta, after a judge ordered him to comply with a subpoena. During a daily talk show he hosts on WABC radio in New York, Mr. Giuliani claimed the investigation is politically motivated and said, without elaborating, that Atlanta is “known for corruption.” Giuliani’s attorney, Robert Costello, said his client would decline to answer any questions about Trump that would violate attorney-client privilege. Giuliani appeared before Georgia state politicians in December 2020 and echoed Trump’s false conspiracy theories about stolen ballots. He also urged them not to certify Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory. The Fulton County investigation began after a recorded phone call in January 2021 in which Mr. Trump urged the state’s top election official to “find” enough votes to change the outcome. Image: Rudy Giuliani at a news conference in the days after the 2020 US election results. Photo: AP The former president has repeatedly falsely claimed to have won Georgia as well as the 2020 presidential contest. The special grand jury was convened in May at Ms. Willis’ request, in part because of her subpoena power. Giuliani, a former U.S. crime-fighting attorney, was among several Trump advisers and lawyers who received grand jury subpoenas last month, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. A federal judge ruled Monday that Mr. Graham, a close ally of the former president, must testify before a grand jury about phone calls he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — who also received Trump’s call in January 2021. “The court finds that the district attorney has shown exceptional circumstances and a special need for Senator Graham’s testimony on issues related to alleged attempts to influence or disrupt the lawful administration of Georgia’s 2022 election,” wrote the district attorney in an order. US Judge Leigh Martin May. In a statement, Mr Graham said the calls were made as part of his constitutionally protected statutory duties and that he would appeal the decision. In court filings, prosecutors said Mr. Graham explored the possibility of reconsidering absentee ballots in calls that “certainly appear to be intertwined” with Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election result. Read more: Store worker detained by police after ex-Trump lawyer Giuliani ‘slaps on the back’ Giuliani’s law license suspended in New York after ‘indisputable evidence’ he made false statements Giuliani among Trump allies called by the committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack It comes as Mr Trump faces a series of investigations into his conduct. In addition to the Georgia case, a congressional committee is investigating his involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Last week, the FBI seized classified documents from his Florida estate that they suspected he had removed from the White House. A search warrant released publicly Friday said federal authorities are investigating possible violations of the Espionage Act, among other laws. In New York, the attorney general’s office and the Manhattan district attorney’s office are conducting parallel civil and criminal investigations into whether Mr. Trump improperly inflated the value of his businesses. Trump declined to answer questions from the New York attorney general’s office last week, citing his constitutional right not to incriminate himself.
