As Donald Trump prepared to surrender Thursday to Fulton County authorities, his allies scoured for new ways to punish District Attorney Fani Willis for bringing charges against the former president and 18 of his allies.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee opened the latest front Thursday with a letter opening a congressional inquiry into Willis’ probe of Trump. The Republican-led panel seeks details on her office’s funding and communications with federal officials.
It’s one of several legislative attempts to sideline Willis. Key GOP legislators charted out plans to file complaints against the district attorney in October under a new law that empowers the state to investigate, reprimand or oust wayward prosecutors.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
And state Sen. Colton Moore is behind a doomed petition to force a special legislative session to remove Willis. While Moore’s initiative stands no chance of passing – it needs bipartisan support, and even Republicans have rejected his idea – it has gained attention in far-right media.
Moore tried to grab a larger share of the spotlight on Thursday by speaking with dozens of reporters staking out the Fulton County Jail, where he criticized Gov. Brian Kemp for not unilaterally calling a special session to rebuke Willis.
“The governor could call the special session immediately if he wants to. Unfortunately, all he’s done is make a tweet and make this all about the 2020 election,” Moore said of Kemp’s recent rebuke of Trump for spreading lies.
“This is about the 2024 election and all future elections,” added Moore, who represents a deep-red northwest Georgia district. “The precedent that this is setting is extremely dangerous for our country.”
Willis and her allies have long warned of GOP efforts to retaliate against her investigation, which yielded charges alleging Trump orchestrated a “criminal enterprise” to reverse his narrow defeat to Joe Biden.
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
A bipartisan group of district attorneys challenged the new law this month, calling it a politicized power grab that undercuts the independence of the judiciary. And Willis has called it a racist backlash to the election victories of progressive prosecutors.
The U.S. House investigation represents a different sort of threat to Willis. It seeks evidence of improper coordination with federal prosecutors and could pave the way for a legislative effort to cut funding to her office.
“We want to look at the potential collusion of the Department of Justice with the state DAs,” U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said in an interview in Milwaukee, where she was promoting Trump’s campaign.
