Judge orders Rudy Giuliani to testify in Georgia Trump investigation
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Rudy Giuliani presented an excuse implying that he cannot travel by plane to avoid testifying against Donald Trump. The judge replied that he could travel by train or a bus or Uber
If Rudy Giuliani , Donald Trump's former personal attorney, can't fly to Atlanta to give court-ordered testimony before a grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to nullify the 2020 election , he'd better find another way to get there. there, a judge suggested Tuesday.
The judge had ordered Giuliani to appear to testify Tuesday before the Fulton County special grand jury investigating Trump , but his attorneys filed an emergency request Monday to postpone his appearance and summoned a doctor who said Giuliani was not he is fit for air travel after heart stent surgery he had earlier this summer.
Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney, who oversees the special grand jury, held a hearing on the request Tuesday and ordered Giuliani to appear for grand jury testimony on Aug. 17.
“The very limited information I have from a doctor, from a very fancy hospital, is that air travel is not compatible with Mr. Giuliani's condition at this time. And that's why I say don't do it by air. He has plenty of time to make the trip — 13 hours of travel,” McBurney said during the hearing, referring to the time it would take to make the drive.
Giuliani was one of Trump's closest advisers as he tried to fight off his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Rudy Giuliani's work to help Trump win the election included meeting with Georgia state legislators three times in December 2020 after the presidential election, twice in person and once remotely.
During the meetings, Giuliani spread conspiracy theories about widespread wrongdoing and fraud in the state . Among the false claims, Giuliani accused two Atlanta poll workers of smuggling fraudulent Biden ballots in suitcases.
Numerous state and federal officials have debunked Giuliani's fraud claims in Georgia , a state Joe Biden won by nearly 12,000 votes.
Since before Giuliani's hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Giuliani's attorneys and District Attorney Fani Willis have argued over claims that Giuliani was unable to travel because of his health. But Judge McBurney made it clear from the start of Tuesday's hearing that he intends for Giuliani to appear in Atlanta.
“John Madden drove across the country in his big bus from stadium to stadium," McBurney said, referring to the football legend who avoided air travel. "So one thing we need to explore is whether Mr. Giuliani could get here without jeopardizing his recovery and his health, by train, bus or Uber, whatever.”
The special grand jury was formed in January at the request of prosecutor Fani Willis. The investigation into whether Donald Trump attempted to rig the outcome of the 2020 Georgia presidential election stems from a January 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump said, “Everything what i want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”
Raffensperger is among dozens of state officials and Trump associates who have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in Georgia since May.
Federal authorities investigated Giuliani's claims of voter fraud in Fulton County and found them to be untrue.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis detailed the wide-ranging investigation against Trump, saying it includes a possible “application for voter fraud, false statements to state and local government agencies, conspiracy, racketeering, oath violation of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the administration of the elections.”