NEWSWEEK
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said on Sunday that he has “no concerns” over his testimony to the grand jury in Georgia in regard to the investigation into possible interference in the 2020 presidential election.
Graham sat down for an interview with ABC‘s This Week and was asked if he had any concerns over possible perjury charges that could be filed against him to which Graham responded that he didn’t have any.
“The grand jury analysis that there was no widespread fraud in Georgia, I agree with that. I think the voting by mail had problems, but I found no evidence of widespread fraud. And I had to decide as a senator whether or not to validate the Georgia election. I thought it made sense to call up the Georgia secretary of state, I did. Asked hard questions,” the senator said, adding “but at the end of the day, I voted to certify the election results in Georgia for the 2020 election.”
Graham, a close ally to former President Donald Trump, tried to avoid testifying at first, with his legal fight going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It ultimately rejected his assertion that his position as a sitting senator shielded him from testifying. According to Graham’s office, the senator sat for over two hours with the grand jury and “answered all questions.”
Parts of the Fulton County investigation report were released following a judge’s order this past Thursday. The documents revealed that, in light of hearing significant testimony “from poll workers, investigators, technical experts, and State of Georgia employees and officials,” the grand jury found “by unanimous vote” no widespread voter fraud took place in Georgia during the 2020 election that could have impacted its results, as Trump and his allies have consistently claimed.
Since February 2021, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been leading a criminal investigation into Trump’s attempts to influence the state’s election officials, which included the infamous call where he asked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to reverse Joe Biden‘s victory in Georgia.
Taking to Truth Social after segments of the report were released, Trump wrote, “The long awaited important sections of the Georgia report, which do not even mention President Trump’s name, have nothing to do with the President because President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong.”
The former president added: “The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do – in fact, as President, it was President Trump’s Constitutional duty to ensure election safety, security, and integrity….”
Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek on Sunday, “It’s ultimately up to the prosecutors & grand jury to decide whether to pursue perjury charges against Lindsey Graham based on his testimony. It is also up to the DOJ to decide whether to indict former President Trump on any charges related to his actions.”
Agranoff continued: “It’s important to note that indictments are not automatic and require a sufficient basis of evidence to support the charges. Additionally, the decision to indict someone is often a complex and nuanced process that involves multiple factors, including legal standards, political considerations, and the availability of evidence.”
“As of now, it is not clear what the expectations are regarding any potential indictments of former President Trump. You can be assured that any legal action taken against him will likely be a highly scrutinized and controversial process with significant political implications. As of this quote, the report’s section that pertains to potential indictments of Trump, his attorneys, or political associates has not been made public,” concluded Agranoff.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg also told Newsweek on Sunday, “The grand jury’s unanimous conclusion that there was no widespread voter fraud was the most important sentence in the released report. It tipped the grand jury’s hand: Why would they make such a statement unless they also recommended that people should be indicted for trying to overturn a clean, legitimate election?”
He added: “Trump somehow claims that he was exonerated, but it seems like the opposite. I think his indictment is likely. Lindsey Graham clearly regrets his controversial calls into Georgia, but he’s not up for reelection in 2024, so I don’t think it will matter.”
“It is very unlikely that he is going to be prosecuted in Georgia, as his call was not recorded and the contents of the call are up to interpretation. His biggest problem is how Trump will react to his statement that there was no widespread fraud,” concluded Aronberg.
