(Headline USA) Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said this week that she would not cooperate with the state Senate’s investigation into her prosecution of former President Donald Trump, calling the legislative body’s investigation “unlawful.”
Georgia Republicans in the state Senate requested Willis’s appearance to testify over whether she misused taxpayer funds in her indictment of Trump and others on racketeering charges.
State Sen. Bill Cowsert, the chairman of the investigative committee, warned Willis this week that if she did not voluntarily testify, he would subpoena her.
“If she’s not willing to come and explain her conduct, then we will subpoena her and ask her to come, require her to come,” he said.
Willis, however, suggested she would ignore the subpoena as well.
“Well, first of all, I don’t even think they have the authority to subpoena me, but they need to learn the law,” Willis said, according to local outlet Fox 5.
When asked to give a “yes or no” on whether she would appear before the committee, Willis replied, “I will not appear on anything that is unlawful.”
Willis also denied the allegations of misconduct against her, saying, “I have not broken the law in any way.”
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones warned Willis in a statement of his own that she cannot legally defy a legislative subpoena, confirming that it was, in fact, Willis, who was conveying her ignorance of and/or disregard for the law.
“If subpoenaed by the Committee, she will be required to appear or she will be in violation of Georgia law,” Jones tweeted. “This is what treating everybody evenly looks like, even if DA Willis doesn’t like being held accountable.”
If subpoenaed by the Committee, she will be required to appear or she will be in violation of Georgia law. This is what treating everybody evenly looks like, even if DA Willis doesn’t like being held accountable. #gapol https://t.co/XBpp96R9Vj
— Burt Jones (@burtjonesforga) May 6, 2024
Willis has repeatedly been rebuked since she was elected in 2020 after campaigning with support from billionaire George Soros on a “Get Trump” platform, promising to prosecute the then-president.
She ultimately used a phone call that transpired a day after she assumed office as the basis for doing so, although investigations have since validated former President Donald Trump’s request that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger investigate allegations of widespread vote fraud in Fulton County and elsewhere.
A recent hearing by the state board of elections appeared to confirm that the county double-scanned more than 300,000 ballots to give Democrat Joe Biden the victory in the state.
"VINDICATED."
Investigator Joseph Rossi unleashes after Fulton County Board finds 2020 election was run ILLEGALLY.
"It has now been factually proven both the HAND AUDIT and the Certified Machine Count were found in violation of Georgia Election Law." 👀pic.twitter.com/D5xTt3orIW
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) May 8, 2024
Willis, meanwhile, has engaged in overtly unethical and partisan practices, calling her judgement and professionalism into question throughout the investigation and trial.
Trump’s legal team scored another win against Willis this week when the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to hear a case over whether Willis should be allowed to stay on the criminal case she brought against him.
Lawyers for Trump and some of his co-defendants in the case have argued that Willis should be disqualified from the case because of her inappropriate romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed to oversee it.
The appeals court’s decision likely means the case will not go to trial until after the November election.