Lindsey Graham must appear before a Georgia grand jury investigating the 2020 presidential election.

 Thursday, a federal appeals court refused a request by Senator Lindsey Graham to suppress a subpoena issued by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, which is examining plans to overturn the 2020 election.

The verdict requires Graham to testify before the committee.

Graham has resisted the subpoena ever since he was served with it in the summer.

Graham had maintained in his appeal to the 11th Circuit Court that his conduct regarding the 2020 election were protected by the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution, which affords members of Congress legal protection while executing their duties.

However, in a judgement issued on Thursday, the court determined that the specific action about which Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wishes to interrogate Graham does not violate this provision.

This includes "communications and cooperation with the Trump campaign regarding its post-election operations in Georgia, public remarks regarding the 2020 election, and efforts to 'cajole' or 'exhort' Georgia election authorities," according to the court.

The judgement stated, "Senator Graham has failed to demonstrate that this strategy will violate his rights under the Free Speech and Debate Clause." Alex Wong/Getty Images, PHOTO IN FILE: On September 29, 2022, Senator Lindsey Graham attends a press conference in the United States Capitol.

Prior to Graham's appearance, a lower court had already slightly narrowed the breadth of the questions prosecutors can ask him.

ABC News did not immediately receive a response to its request for comment from a representative of Graham. Willis has been examining whether former President Donald Trump and his Republican associates violated the law when they exerted pressure on Georgia election officials in an attempt to manipulate the results in Trump's favour. The investigation was spurred in part by a phone call President Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he pleaded with him to "find 11,780 votes," the exact number of votes Trump needed to win Georgia.

Latest Articles On  Newmagazinresearch