The House Judiciary Committee is launching an investigation into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, demanding the prosecutor turn over key information detailing the criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
In a letter sent by Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Thursday, the committee leader accused Willis of using the 41-count indictment to interfere with the presidential election, of which Trump is the current GOP front-runner. The request for information comes just hours before Trump is expected to surrender himself to Fulton County officials for his arraignment in the case.
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“Your indictment and prosecution implicate substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding your actions raise serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated,” Jordan wrote. “Given the weighty federal interests at stake, the Committee is conducting oversight of this matter to determine whether any legislative reforms are appropriate or necessary.”
Willis announced the indictment charges earlier this month after conducting a 2 1/2-year investigation into Trump’s efforts to reverse his loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia, a key swing state that helped secure his Electoral College victory. The inquiry focused on five separate actions taken by Trump and the former president’s allies in the weeks following the 2020 election, including phone calls made to Georgia officials to overturn the election results.
The indictment also detailed instances in which Trump and his allies pressured local election officials, made false claims of voter fraud, and concocted a plan to recruit a fake slate of electors to certify a victory for Trump rather than Biden. Eighteen other people were indicted alongside Trump on similar charges, including former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and former Trump adviser John Eastman, among others.
Republicans were quick to push back on the indictment, arguing the timing of the charges has raised serious concerns about its legitimacy.
Jordan pointed to a fundraising website highlighting her investigation into Trump, which launched just days before Willis announced the criminal charges against the former president. Jordan also cited comments made by Emily Kohrs, who serves as the forewoman of the special Fulton County grand jury, in which she “bragged” about “the prospect of subpoenaing President Trump.”
The Judiciary Committee will specifically examine whether Willis’s office “coordinated” with DOJ special counsel Jack Smith during her investigation, citing reports that the two had “interviewed many of the same witnesses and reviewed much of the same evidence.”
“The House Committee on the Judiciary (Committee) thus may investigate whether federal law enforcement agencies or officials were involved in your investigation or indictment,” Jordan wrote. “It may also investigate whether DOJ raised any concerns about how your investigation impacted federal interests, and if so, whether and how those concerns were resolved.”
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As part of its request, the Judiciary Committee is demanding access to all documents related to the Fulton County district attorney’s office’s receipt and use of federal funds, as well as any communications between Willis’s office and the DOJ throughout the course of her investigation. The letter also requests access to all materials shared between the Fulton County district attorney’s office and any federal executive branch officials related to the criminal indictment of Trump or any of the other 18 co-defendants.
Willis has until Sept. 7 to provide the materials to the Judiciary Committee, according to the letter. It’s not yet clear whether she plans to comply.