Georgia Republicans Launch Senate Investigation Into Fani Willis — As Lawmaker Calls For Impeachment
The Republican-led Georgia senate will investigate claims that Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney behind Trump’s election interference case in Georgia, had an inappropriate relationship with a prosecutor assigned to the case, in the latest escalation of political fallout from the accusations.
FILE - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during an Associated Press interview on ... [+]
On Friday, the senate voted largely along party lines to create a special committee tasked with investigating the claims, and given the authority to administer oaths and issue subpoenas.
The text of the bill, proposed by Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal, claims that if true, the allegations against Willis would “bring her and her office into disrepute” and undermine confidence in a fair criminal justice system.
The committee would consist of nine members—three of whom would be Democrats.
The committee was created just hours after Republican state Sen. Charlice Byrd announced articles of impeachment against Willis.
Forbes has contacted Willis’ office for comment.
The accusations against Willis have threatened to upend her criminal case against Trump, one of 19 co-defendants charged for their alleged efforts to block President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in Georgia. The accusations first surfaced in a filing put forward by one of the other defendants in the case, Michael Roman, who sought Willis’ disqualification and dismissal of the charges on grounds that she allegedly had an improper relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor involved in the case. On Thursday, Trump’s legal team joined onto Roman’s filing, similarly calling for Willis’ disqualification. Trump’s attorneys alleged that she fomented “racial bias” into the case when she pushed back against critics during a speech at an Atlanta church, suggesting that she and Wade were being scrutinized because of their race. Trump has frequently attacked Willis, calling her “racist” and alleging that she is targeting him.
Democrats in the state senate reportedly pushed back on the committee, with state Sen. Josh McLaurin accusing Republicans of engaging in “political theater,” per the Capitol Beat News Service.
In Truth Social posts on Friday, former President Donald Trump alleged, without evidence, that the case brough “in Total and Complete Coordination with Crooked Joe Biden’s White House, and the DOJ,” claiming Willis “boyfriend/lover” went to the White House “on numerous occasions.”