House Republicans are probing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as she prosecutes Donald Trump and several of the former president’s allies on charges they conspired to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results.
(Bloomberg) — House Republicans are probing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as she prosecutes Donald Trump and several of the former president’s allies on charges they conspired to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The Judiciary Committee’s inquiry comes as Trump is expected to surrender at the county jail on Thursday following his indictment last week on felony racketeering and other counts.
“Your indictment and prosecution implicate substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding your actions raise serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated,” Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan said in a Thursday letter to Willis.
Jordan is seeking documents and other material from Willis — including any communications her office has had with the Justice Department.
The probe echoes Republicans’ scrutiny earlier this year of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. That came after Bragg’s office obtained an indictment against Trump tied to alleged hush payments to an adult film star.
A spokesman for Willis’ office declined to comment on the letter.
Republicans say the allocation of public safety funds appropriated by Congress gives them jurisdiction in a probe over a local district attorney.
Jordan’s letter requests Willis turn over documents and other material — including any communications between her office and the Justice Department and Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office or any federal executive branch officials — by Sept. 7.
On X, the site formerly known as Twitter, Jordan questioned whether Willis was working with Smith, who is investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results,
“Was she communicating with the Executive Branch? Were any federal funds used in the investigation of President Trump?” Jordan asked.
The focus on Bragg led the Manhattan DA to sue over Jordan’s demands for documents and other material — depicting the congressional inquiry as politically motivated and unconstitutional. The tension ratcheted up when Jordan and several colleagues held a hearing on violent crime in New York City, intended to embarrass Bragg.
Bragg eventually dropped his lawsuit after the two sides reached a settlement that allowed the House panel to interview a former prosecutor who had worked with Bragg.
(Updates with no immediate comment from Willis’ office in sixth paragraph.)
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