Georgia Republicans challenge subpoenas in Trump fake elector probe

[July 20, 2022]  (Reuters) - Georgia Republicans accused of playing a role in attempts by ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn his 2020 election defeat asked a judge to throw out subpoenas issued for upcoming hearings, court papers showed on Tuesday.

Trump has falsely claimed that rampant voter fraud caused his loss in Georgia, a key battleground state where President Joe Biden was victorious, helping him win the White House.

A special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia is undertaking a criminal investigation into alleged wrongdoing.

It is one of the most serious cases facing Trump, who was recorded in a Jan. 2 phone call pressuring a top state official to "find" enough votes to overturn his loss to Biden in the state.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

A filing at Fulton County's Superior Court on behalf of 11 of the 16 purported Georgia Republican presidential electors described subpoenas for a hearing later this month as "unreasonable and oppressive."

Sixteen people who signed an unofficial electoral certificate have been informed that their testimony is required and that they are a target for investigation, according to a separate court filing.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to an audience at the "American Freedom Tour" event in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., June 18, 2022. REUTERS/Karen Pulfer Focht/File Photo

Georgia State Senator Burt Jones has also called on the court to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from her role as legal advisor in the case.

In response, the District Attorney's Office said: "Jones has done nothing to establish an actual conflict of interest in the case."

A hearing on the matter will take place on July 21. Jones is due to appear before the special grand jury on July 26.

The Justice Department has been investigating an alleged plan by Trump and his supporters to submit alternative slates of state electors to reverse Biden's victory in the election.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Scott Malone and Kenneth Maxwell)

[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.