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Fulton County DA Fani Willis tells committee she will not be derailed from Trump case

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Published  March 28, 2024 12:43pm EDT
Fani Willis
FOX 5 Atlanta
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FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has responded to a warning she received from the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary on March 14. The email was related to the committee's investigation into potential misuse of federal funds.

In a subpoena dated Feb. 2, the committee demanded that Willis and her office provide all documents and communications pertaining to allegations of federal fund misuse, as well as communications with the Justice Department and Fulton County District Attorney's Office employees regarding federal grants. The subpoena also requested grant applications, agreements, and performance measurement documents.

The March 14 letter from committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, threatened to hold Willis in contempt of Congress if she did not comply with their demands by noon on March 28. Failure to comply could lead to further actions, including contempt of Congress proceedings, according to the letter.

What did Willis say in her response

Willis responded to Jordan on March 25, rejecting the assertion that her office was deficient in responding to the subpoena. 

"I am in receipt of your letter dated March 14, 2024. I categorically reject the assertion that this office is deficient in responding to the Committee's subpoena dated February 2, 2024," the letter said. 

She then pointed out that Chairman Jim Jordan's letter acknowledged the production of some documents by her office and stated that they were still in the process of producing relevant documents on a rolling basis.

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Willis deemed the committee's requests as "unreasonable and uncustomary," stating that fulfilling them would divert resources from prosecuting crime, including gang activity, acts of violence, and public corruption.

"We will not shut down this office’s efforts to prosecute crime — including gang activity, acts of violence and public  corruption — to meet unreasonable deadlines in your politically motivated "investigation" of this office," Willis wrote.

Willis says she will not be derailed

She also emphasized that the committee's actions would not derail the election interference trial. 

"However, let me again state this clearly, nothing that you do will derail the efforts of my staff and I to bring the election interference prosecution to trial so that a jury of Fulton County citizens can determine the guilt of innocence of the defendants."

Additionally, Willis noted that she and her staff had faced repeated threats due to the case but remained committed to fulfilling their duty.

"My family, my staff and I have been threatened repeatedly by people making violent, often racist, attacks. Neither those threats, nor anything your colleagues and you say or do, will deter us from fulfilling our duty to bring this case to trial," according to Willis. 

Willis brought charges against the former president and 18 others after a 2-1/2 year investigation. A grand jury handed up a sweeping indictment in August 2023. Since then, four defendants took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants. 

Timeline: Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Nathan Wade controversy

Willis was almost tossed off the case after one of the defendants, Michael Roman, filed a motion to have her disqualified because of her relationship with a man she hired to be a special prosecutor on the case. Ultimately, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that either Willis or the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, needed to step aside in order for the case to proceed. A few hours later, Wade resigned.

Willis told members of the media last weekend that she's the only district attorney in the state and possibly in the country with the courage to prosecute the former president. 

The Fulton County District Attorney's Office told FOX 5 they have no comment beyond what was said in the letter.