Fani Willis could be locked up after being called out by this U.S. congressman
Fulton County DA Fani Willis has been embroiled in a wild scandal. Political targeting of Donald Trump is just the tip of the iceberg.
Now Fani Willis could be locked up after being called out by this U.S. congressman.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced on Thursday that Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is conducting a 2020 election interference prosecution against former President Donald Trump and his aides, may face contempt of Congress charges.
Jordan’s letter to Willis asks that the prosecutor cooperate with document requests and a subpoena filed on February 2 after the Washington Free Beacon published recordings of an employee warning Willis about probable misuse of government funds weeks before the worker was fired.
“On February 23, 2024, you responded to the Committee’s subpoena with a letter in which you smeared a former employee of yours who spoke out about your misuse of federal grant funds,” Jordan wrote in the letter.
🚨 #BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan threatens to hold Fani Willis in contempt pic.twitter.com/2XLt3eOPYN
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) March 14, 2024
“We will not dignify your attacks on this brave whistleblower, or your continued attempts to distract from your conduct through misdirection and personal insults,” he went on to say.
“The allegations in the public realm about your misuse of federal grant funding are concerning, and the Committee has an obligation to examine them.”
The letter stated that Willis produced some records, such as award letters from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and screenshots of expense budget summaries, but faulted the DA for failing to provide other documents and communications across a number of categories, including those relating to any allegations of federal fund misuse by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and contacts with the DOJ.
According to Jordan, Willis’ letter to the House Judiciary Committee urged that the panel “engage” with the DOJ to collect some of the data; nevertheless, the chairman stated that this does not “alleviate” the prosecutor’s legal need to comply with the subpoena.
Jordan also rejected Willis’ objection to the “overbroad and unduly burdensome” subpoena, stating his panel displayed “restraint” by seeking only two kinds of information in a limited amount of time.
“While you have indicated that additional documents may be forthcoming in response to the Committee’s subpoena, the Committee has yet to receive any additional responsive materials in the three weeks since your initial response,” Jordan wrote.
“Accordingly, the Committee expects that you will produce all responsive documents to the subpoena in the categories prioritized by the Committee no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 28, 2024,” he added.
“If you fail to do so, the Committee will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings.”
WSB-TV, a local ABC affiliate, published Willis’ statement, which was disclosed after Jordan issued the subpoena last month.
“These false allegations are included in baseless litigation filed by a holdover employee from the previous administration who was terminated for cause,” Willis said.
“The courts that have ruled found no merit in these claims. We expect the same result in any pending litigation.”
She went on to say, “Any examination of the records of our grant programs will find that they are highly effective and conducted in cooperation with the Department of Justice and in compliance with all Department of Justice requirements.”
Willis may be disqualified from her 2020 case due to her association with main prosecutor Nathan Wade. A court could rule as early as this week. Six of Willis’ allegations against Trump and his co-defendants were dismissed on Wednesday, while others remain.
Trump is facing four criminal charges and legal litigation as he bids for a second term in the White House. He has strongly denied any wrongdoing and claims that prosecutors are conducting a politically motivated “witch hunt” against him.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
