The state attorney general’s office announced Friday it has asked the GBI to investigate after Fani Willis, who unseated Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard in last month’s Democratic runoff election, raised concerns over the alleged destruction of public records.
On Thursday, Willis sent a letter to GBI Director Vic Reynolds after being forwarded a pair of interoffice emails with subject lines stating: "destruction — burn boxes.“ Howard, soundly defeated last month by his former chief deputy, dismissed her concerns.
“She not only question(ed) my integrity but the integrity of the employees who currently work in the District Attorney’s Office," Howard said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Willis faces no Republican opposition and is poised to take the reins in January.
A spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said the GBI has been directed to open a probe. Howard is already under investigation by the GBI for using city funds to pad his salary; the six-term chief prosecutor agreed to pay a $6,500 state ethics fine for failing to disclose his role as CEO of two non-profits, one of which netted him $195,000 in city grant money.
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