CAN’T ESCAPE: Appeals court rejects Michael Flynn’s plea to dodge Fulton County Grand Jury
Last month Michael Flynn, an ally and advisor to Donald Trump, was ordered by a judge to testify before the Fulton County Georgia Grand Jury convened by District Attorney Fani Willis, and he applied to a Florida appellate court for a reversal.
That appeal has now been denied.
Flynn has previously faced prison time for his vigorous defense of Trump — when he was convicted of lying to Congress in testimony about contacts with Russia, for which the then-president pardoned him.
This time around, Trump isn’t in office to offer him a reprieve if his testimony has consequences.
The Grand Jury was convened in Fulton County after the revelation that Trump had called Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and urged him to “find” enough votes to flip the election in Trump’s favor.
The investigation isn’t confined to that phone call, though, but is considering more broadly the efforts by Trump and his allies to interfere with the state’s election processes.
Flynn is currently scheduled to testify on Thursday unless he negotiates a different schedule with the Fulton County District Attorney’s office.
He’s one in a long line of potential witnesses who have fought to avoid giving testimony and been ordered to do so, including Rudy Giuliani.
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“Prosecutors have said that Flynn is one of the last remaining witnesses who has yet to testify, and they’ve indicated the grand jury is likely to wrap up its work in the weeks ahead…Fulton prosecutors previously said they’re interested in discussing the circumstances related to [Flynn’s] pardon, as well as comments he made to Newsmax in late 2020 in which he said Trump could invoke martial law and seize voting machines.”
For witnesses who live outside the state, the Grand Jury’s orders to appear must go through a court in the state of residence, which is why Flynn’s current fight is in Florida courts.
Last month, Sarasota County Chief Judge Charles Roberts rejected Flynn’s claims that testifying would be an undue hardship and his claim that the matter is civil, rather than criminal, and that he can’t be compelled to testify for that reason.
PBS reported that Flynn was, at that time, ordered to testify on November 22nd, but appealed the case.
Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.
