Judge rules Illinois reverend doesn't have to testify before Grand Jury investigating Donald Trump

ATLANTA - An Illinois Judge says a Lutheran minister doesn’t have to testify before the Fulton County special grand jury investigating allegations of election interference by former President Donald Trump and others.

According to court documents, grand jurors wanted to question the reverend about whether he and others attempted to influence the 2020 election results.

It all started back in January 2021. When strangers showed up at the home of a frightened election worker on her front porch, in the dark of night, she sought help from a Cobb County police officer.

Ruby Freeman, a part-time Fulton County poll worker, had become the target of withering nationwide attacks and threats with strangers suddenly appearing at her home.

"I don't know what to do," Freeman told the Cobb County police officer who responded to her 911 call.

Then-President Trump and others thrust Ruby into the spotlight. They claimed surveillance videotape from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta showed Freeman and her daughter, who were 2020 election workers, tampering with ballots.

Trump even blasted Freeman on his now famous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

"Ruby Freeman, she's a vote scammer. A professional vote scammer and a hustler," Trump said.

Georgia Secretary of State official Gabe Sterling said all the video showed was routine election work.

"These people are not involved in voter suppression. I am telling you they are doing their jobs every day," Sterling said.

Once that video went viral, strangers kept showing up at Ruby’s door. December 2020, Rev. Stephen Lee, from a suburb of Chicago, knocked on her door and then sat in his car across the street. He then watched and waited.

Freeman called 911. Rev. Lee told a Cobb County police officer he meant no harm.

"I'm not here to hurt her, I’m not here to cause any problems or anything like that. I’m working with some folks who are trying to help Ruby out, but also get some truth about what’s going on," said Lee.

Why was Rev. Lee at Ruby Freeman's home? That’s what the grand jury investigating whether Trump interfered with the 2020 election, wanted to know. And they wanted Rev. Lee and others to answer their questions.

David Shestokas is Rev. Lee's attorney. The FOX 5 I-Team asked him what he could tell us about Lee's visit to Ruby Freeman's home.

"I, you know, you can ask that question several ways, Dale. That’s outside my… that’s above my paygrade," the lawyer said.

However, he would talk about why Rev. Lee was in court last week. Rev. Lee was fighting what is essentially a subpoena requiring his testimony before the Fulton County special grand jury.

States have a reciprocal legal program for securing testimony from out of state witnesses.  

However, Shestokas convinced an Illinois judge the request for Rev. Lee to testify in Georgia didn’t meet Illinois standards.

"Judge McBurney’s certificate failed to cite anything about Illinois law," Shestokas said.

The grand jury investigating former President Trump and others is believed to be back in action, after taking off during the 2022 midterm elections.

The district attorneys' office has said it will resend the petition requesting Rev. Lee testify about what happened to Ruby Freeman after the 2020 election.

Reporter: "Why doesn’t Rev. Lee just come to Fulton County and testify before the grand jury?"

Shestokas: "That’s a separate substantive issue. Whatever it is they seek from Rev. Lee, we’re not there. That’s not an issue. The issue is Georgia is not compliant with the law of Illinois."