House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced on Thursday that Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading a 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, could face contempt of Congress proceedings.
A letter Jordan sent to Willis demands that the prosecutor comply with document requests and a subpoena issued on February 2 following the Washington Free Beacon publishing audio of an employee telling Willis about the potential misuse of federal 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 added. “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 said Willis did produce some records, such as award letters from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and screenshots of expense budget summaries, but faulted the DA for not providing other documents and communications across a number of categories, including those referring to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and contacts with the DOJ.
According to Jordan, a letter Willis sent to the House Judiciary Committee requested the panel “engage” with the DOJ to obtain some of the records, but the chairman said that it does not “alleviate” the prosecutor’s legal obligation to comply with the subpoena. Jordan also rebuffed an objection by Willis to the “overbroad and unduly burdensome” subpoena, saying his panel exercised “restraint” and sought only two categories of documents in a limited scope 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, reported a statement from Willis that was released when 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.”
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She added, “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 is facing possible disqualification from her 2020 case over her relationship with her lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. A judge could issue a ruling as early as this week. Six of the charges brought by Willis against Trump and his co-defendants were dismissed on Wednesday, though other counts remain.
Trump faces four criminal cases and civil litigation as he runs another campaign seeking a second term in the White House. He has broadly denied wrongdoing and has claimed that prosecutors are engaged in a politically motivated “witch hunt” against him.