Cobb Reporter

Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's former attorney, will not be required to appear this week before a special grand jury probing whether the former president and others attempted to impact the results of the 2020 presidential election.

A judge during the past month had ordered Giuliani, former New York City mayor, to appear before the special grand jury that was convened by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

"(Fulton Superior Court) Judge Robert McBurney excused him, pending a hearing tomorrow on the motion to continue," Giuliani’s attorney, Robert Costello, wrote in a Aug. 8 text message.

Nothing in readily available court documents shows that Giuliani does not have to appear, but McBurney had planned a hearing for 12:30 p.m. Aug. 9 to hear arguments on a court filing from Giuliani seeking to delay his appearance.

Willis has filed petitions trying to compel testimony from seven Trump advisers and associates, including Giuliani. Because they don't reside in Georgia, she used a process that involves getting a judge in the state where they live to order them to appear. Giuliani not being cleared for air travel is another obstacle for the case, but Willis does not want to delay his court appearance, saying he is able to arrive by train, bus or car instead.

Giuliani's lawyer, William Thomas, claims that his client was not able to appear due to recovery from a medial procedure. However, Willis’ team found evidence that Giuliani had been traveling on dates after his medical procedure. Thomas said his client has offered to appear virtually, such as through Zoom.