Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) was slapped with a subpoena from a special grand jury for the Fulton County inquiry into the 2020 election last month, court documents revealed.
The subpoena demanded Hice deliver testimony to Fulton County investigators by Tuesday morning, according to a motion his lawyers filed seeking to transfer the case from a Georgia court to a federal court.
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“Since Congressman Hice is a member of the United States House of Representatives and is being asked to testify pursuant to a state-issued subpoena, the federal officer removal statute should apply, and this action should therefore be removed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia,” his lawyers wrote in the filing.
Hice has positioned himself as a staunch acolyte of former President Donald Trump, having run unsuccessfully to oust Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who delivered testimony to Fulton County investigators earlier this year.
The congressman attended a Dec. 21, 2020, meeting at the White House and huddled with colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus to devise plans to challenge the 2020 election, Politico reported. His testimony could shed light on key behind-the-scenes machinations to investigators.
Hice was first subpoenaed on June 29. On Monday, he filed a notice of removal to the Superior Court of Fulton County as part of his bid to transfer the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
“Hice received a subpoena from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to appear as a witness before the special purpose grand jury, and his legal team has successfully removed the matter to federal court,” Hice’s spokeswoman, Sarah Selip, said. “At this time, Mr. Hice is eager to return to Washington, D.C. to fulfill his duties as a member of Congress as the House of Representatives is in session this week.”
The congressman is one of several Trump allies targeted by the inquiry. Earlier this month, a special grand jury fired off subpoenas against seven key Trump allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is seeking to quash the subpoena in court. Last week, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is overseeing the inquiry, reportedly sent target letters to multiple Republicans, hinting at possible forthcoming indictments.
Willis is investigating whether crimes were committed dung the aftermath of the 2020 election. A special grand jury was impaneled in May to assist with her investigation and issue subpoenas.
The investigation, which has heated up in recent weeks, is looking at a call Trump had with Raffensperger in which he stressed the need to “find 11,780” votes to overturn the election. Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended the call as “perfect.”
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Additionally, the inquiry is reportedly examining two phone calls Graham had with Raffensperger, the sudden resignation of a U.S. attorney in the Peach State, and controversial statements Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani made before the Georgia state Senate about the 2020 election.
