By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A judge on Thursday refused to quash subpoenas for 11 fake electors identified as targets in a probe in Georgia in alleged attempts by former U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Georgia Republicans who were accused of playing a role in Trump’s alleged efforts had asked the judge to throw out subpoenas issued for upcoming hearings, describing the subpoenas as “unreasonable and oppressive.”
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled on Thursday the 11 fake electors could not be excused from appearing to testify.
Trump has falsely claimed that rampant voter fraud caused his loss in Georgia, a battleground state where President Joe Biden’s victory helped propel him to the White House.
A special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, is undertaking a criminal investigation into alleged wrongdoing.
The judge also cautioned the Fulton County district attorney’s office against releasing the special grand jury’s report near the elections.
“If the work is completed such that it lands on or near the election, it will stay completed and in my office until it gets disclosed after the election,” McBurney said.
It is one of the most serious cases facing Trump, who was recorded in a Jan. 2, 2021 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.
Georgia State Senator Burt Jones had also called on the court to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from her role as legal adviser in the case over Willis’ support for an opponent of Jones in a fundraiser.
The judge said the fundraiser reflected poor judgment on the district attorney’s part.
“It’s a ‘What were you thinking?’ moment,” McBurney said. “The optics are horrific.”
The judge said he would issue a ruling later on a motion to disqualify Wallis.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio)
