The prosecutor in charge of the election interference case against President Donald Trump in Fulton County, Georgia, is once again facing fierce backlash from Republicans in her own state.
Not only have the dubious merits of the case drawn considerable outrage among GOP officials, District Attorney Fani Willis has also damaged her own credibility by reportedly maintaining a romantic relationship with a man she named as special counsel on the Trump case.
Now, Republican state senators, who have moved to disqualify her, have issued a subpoena aimed at forcing her to fork over a trove of related documents.
According to Courthouse News Service:
The defendants sought to disqualify Willis over her personal relationship with Nathan Wade, the former appointed special counsel on the case. They argued the relationship created a conflict of interest and that Willis misspent public funds and enriched herself through personal trips the two took together.
Bill Cowsert, an Athens Republican who leads the Senate committee, contends that his panel has the legal authority to force Willis’ testimony in their investigation. The subpoena seeks to compel Willis to produce an extensive array of documents, including all texts, emails, cell phone records and any transactions between Willis and Wade starting from 2019.
Willis argues the sought documents are privileged and would harm the ongoing prosecution. In a filing Wednesday, she noted that “multiple members of the Committee have signed onto the false theory that Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results were fraudulent.”
Willis also said no committee members had sought permission from a Fulton County judge to issue, serve or enforce such subpoenas. “The subpoenas lack a legitimate legislative purpose and are intended to punish,” she wrote.
Willis’ efforts to fight back have not gone particularly well so far:
A Fulton County judge has just ruled AGAINST Fani Willis in a lawsuit brought against her by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for one of Trump's co-defendants for hiding evidence about her relationship with Nathan Wade
The judge DENIED her motion to dismiss the Open Records Case and… https://t.co/bN0N87Rpyz
— Burton Brink Fighting for California (@LASDBrink) September 6, 2024
BREAKING: A Fulton County judge has just ruled AGAINST Fani Willis in a lawsuit brought against her by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for one of Trump's co-defendants for hiding evidence about her relationship with Nathan Wade
The judge DENIED her motion to dismiss the Open Records… pic.twitter.com/q0FlTPdBdW
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 6, 2024
Trump and others in his political orbit have expressed harsh criticism of Willis and the investigation into his actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP IS WITH ME!
He knows that my call for an emergency session to DEFUND the corrupt Fani Willis is the correct move.
Sadly, Georgia REPUBLICANS are blocking my efforts.
This is madness. No more empty promises. The people want ACTION…
TIME TO SIGN! pic.twitter.com/WYrb7ewTP3
— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) August 30, 2023
So why is Letitia James from the state of New York, plus #FaniWillis' loverboy/Trump prosecutor, visiting the Biden White House on multiple occasions? pic.twitter.com/HzT6aQNf9L
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) January 13, 2024
The latest action by GOP lawmakers in Georgia came months after U.S. House Republicans subpoenaed Willis, as NBC News reported in February:
The subpoena, obtained by NBC News, is part of a broader probe by Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Republicans into whether Willis used federal funds in conducting her more-than-two-year investigation into former President Donald Trump, who was indicted in Fulton County last year on charges that he attempted to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
In a letter Friday, Jordan says Willis has failed to comply with two earlier requests for documents related to her office’s use of federal grant money. The subpoena calls on the district attorney’s office to provide documents and communications “referring or relating to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office’s receipt and use of federal funds” and “referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds.”
Willis’ office has condemned Jordan’s requests, writing last year in a letter to him that there is “no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter.”
Here’s some more controversy surrounding Willis and her relationship with Wade:
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