Political Rewind: Sen. Graham must testify; Abrams appeals to Black men; Mar-a-Lago warrant unsealed

Caption

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., listens during a hearing on the fiscal year 2023 budget for the FBI in Washington, on May 25, 2022. Attorneys for Graham said in a court filing on July 13, he wasn't trying to interfere in Georgia's 2020 election when he called state officials to ask them to reexamine certain absentee ballots after President Donald Trump's narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Credit: Ting Shen/Pool Photo via AP, File

The panel: 

Adrienne Jones, @adriennemjns, Professor of political science and director, pre-law, Morehouse College

Margaret Coker, @mideastmargaret, Editor in chief, The Current

Maria Saporta, @mariasaporta , Editor, The Saporta Report

Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, Political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The breakdown: 

1. Sen. Lindsey Graham must come to Georgia to testify in Fulton County probe. 

• The senator from South Carolina placed two calls to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after the 2020 election to ask about voting procedures/absentee ballots.
  • Graham and his lawyers argued that his actions were protected under the Speech or Debate Clause’s protections, but that appeal was struck down this morning in court. 
  • Former President Trump's former lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is slated to testifythis Wednesday.

2. Abrams is behind in the polls with Black male voters. 

• An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll last month showed the Democratic nominee for governor was behind projections with Black voters, with about 80% of the vote. 
• Abrams is also significantly trailing Gov. Brian Kemp among male voters, 57% to 33%.

3. Abrams is all in on legalizing gambling while Kemp folds. 

• Abrams made the announcement at an economic address last week. 
• Abrams also intends to expand the HOPE scholarship to students with "C" averages and add a need-based scholarship for students.
• Meanwhile, her incumbent opponent Gov. Kemp did not signal he would legalize gambling.

4. Mar-a-Lago warrants are unsealed by the Department of Justice. 

• The records reveal the FBI removed 11 classified documents while executing last week's search at the 45th president's home.

5. Worries about rising gun violence in the metro Atlanta area. 

• Mayor Andre Dickens made a rare appearance at an Atlanta City Council meeting last week. 
  • He addressed the public safety committee.

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Tamar Hallerman joins us.