ATLANTA – Rep. Jody Hice revealed Monday that he had been cited in an ongoing criminal investigation by Georgia prosecutors for electoral interference by Donald J. Trump and his allies.
It’s unclear what kind of information prosecutors are looking for, but Mr. Hice, a Republican, has been one of the most conspicuous proponents of the false claims that Mr. Trump was the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Hice, whose district is east of Atlanta, is trying to challenge the subpoena in federal court, arguing in a new legal filing that his congressional status gives him special protections before state proceedings. He has been an unconditional ally of Mr. Trump and led a January 2021 challenge to the House of Representatives for Georgia voter certification. Earlier this year, he lost a major challenge backed by Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who has maintained a conflicted relationship with the former president.
The summons, included in the court file, requires the presence of Mr. I did it Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. in front of the special grand jury in a downtown Atlanta courtroom.
Loree Anne Paradise, Mr. Hice, could not be reached for comment Monday.
Earlier this month, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has also been cited in the investigation, went to federal court to try to protect herself from testifying.
Donald Trump, post-presidency
The former president remains a powerful force in Republican politics.
The investigation is led by Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, which covers most of Atlanta, and which has already involved a number of Mr. Trump. Several members of the legal team who worked with the 2020 Trump campaign have received citations, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell and Jenna Ellis.
David Shafer, a Trump ally who chairs the state Republican Party, has received a letter informing him that he is the target of the investigation and that he could be charged, as can two state lawmakers. The grand jury is investigating a number of potentially criminal acts, including the selection of a list of pro-Trump voters in the weeks following the election and the famous call by Mr. Trump to Mr. Raffensperger asking him to “find” almost. 12,000 votes that would reverse his loss there.
Mr. Hice helped lead efforts in Congress to keep Mr. Trump in power. On December 21, 2020, Mr. Hice posted on Twitter about the meetings he and other pro-Trump lawmakers had that day with Mr. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Trump’s legal team. Trump. “I will raise an objection to the voters of Georgia on January 6,” Mr. Hice. “The courts refuse to hear the president’s legal case. We will make sure that the people can! ”
Mr. Hice is a preacher, former radio presenter, and former vice president of the Baptist Convention of Georgia. He has written that the separation of church and state is a “misconception” and made controversial statements about women and gays and lesbians.
Mr.’s lawyer Hice is seeking the subpoena issue to be fought in a federal court, citing federal law that allows members of Congress and other officials to move state-level legal entanglements to federal courts.
Mr. Graham’s attorneys are already challenging his subpoena before the federal court in Washington. They have argued that the speech and debate clause in the U.S. Constitution protects members of Congress from participating in such investigations, although it generally does not protect political activities. Graham called Mr. Raffensperger twice in November 2020 to ask him about the invalidation of certain ballots by mail to help Mr. Trump.
Ms. Willis is also weighing whether to cite Mr. Trump in her investigation and has said that “anything that is relevant to attempts to interfere in Georgia’s elections will be subject to review.”