Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ruled this week that a Georgia judge must comply with subpoenas for testimony and documents related to allegations of misconduct while handling the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump.
A Georgia Senate select committee issued the subpoena earlier this year as part of an investigation into allegations that Willis, 53, misappropriated taxpayer money and a potential conflict of interest during her romance with former Trump special counsel Nathan Wade.
Willis, who was disbarred from the Trump case last week by a Georgia appeals court, defied the committee’s subpoena in September, arguing the committee had no authority to compel her to testify or turn over documents.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram ruled Monday that Willis must file a list of claimed privileges and objections to the special committee’s subpoena request by Jan. 13.
Willis plans to appeal the ruling.
Former Democratic Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, who represented Willis in the case, told The Associated Press: “We believe this ruling is wrong and we will appeal.”
Willis decried the Republican-led investigation in a fiery press conference in May, calling it “illegal” and saying he would refuse to appear before the committee.
Barnes argued in court papers that the panel’s demands are “overly broad and not reasonably aligned with lawful legislative needs” and “seek confidential and privileged information as well as personal and private information that is not the lawful subject of legislation.” claimed. A subpoena,” AP reported.
He also charged that the subpoenas were issued after the state’s legislative session ended and should be invalidated because they violate the Georgia Constitution.
“The law is clear and this ruling confirms what we knew,” Republican Senator Greg Dolezal said in a statement, according to Fox News.
He added, “Judge Ingram rejected all of Willis’ claims to avoid testifying before the committee under oath.”
“I expect DA Willis to honor the subpoena and provide documents and testimony to our committee.”
A Georgia legislative panel is investigating several allegations against Willis and Wade that led to their removal from the Trump case. This includes the DA’s decision to hire Willis, now his ex-lover, as a special prosecutor in a large-scale racketeering case and pay him a hefty salary.
Wade, along with his boss at the time, Willis, were accused of squandering about $654,000 in paychecks on lavish gifts and vacations. That raised questions about the extent to which Atlanta prosecutors benefited financially from people they hired with taxpayer money.
