The circumstances of Fulton County (Georgia) District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump raise serious questions about her motivation, House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tells Willis in a letter published Thursday.
In the letter, Rep. Jordan informs DA Willis that his committee has launched a probe into her prosecution of Trump – in particular, regarding the timing of her actions.
“[J]ust four days before this indictment, you launched a new campaign fundraising website that highlighted your investigation into President Trump,” Jordan writes.
“Turning first to the question of motivation,” Chairman Jordan’s letter begins, listing dubious anomalies of Willis’ prosecution of Trump:
- “[T]he forewoman of the special grand jury you convened to investigate President Trump earlier this year bragged during an unusual media tour about her excitement at the prospect of subpoenaing President Trump and getting to swear him in.”
- “[T]he Fulton County Superior Court’s Clerk publicly released a list of criminal charges against President Trump reportedly hours before the vote of the grand jury.”
- “A Fulton County court has disqualified you from targeting current Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones as part of your probe on the grounds that you actively supported and held fundraising events for his Democratic opponent.”
- “[U]nlike officials in other jurisdictions, Fulton County officials ‘have suggested [they] will process [the former President] as [a] typical criminal defendant, requiring mug shots and possibly even cash bond.’”
“The timing of this prosecution reinforces concerns about your motivation,” Jordan tells Willis, noting how the DA held off charging Trump for more than two years – until a time it could do the most harm to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign:
- “In February 2021, news outlets reported that you directed your office to open an investigation into President Trump. Indeed, sometime on or around February 11, 2021, your office purportedly sent a letter to several Republican officials in Georgia, requesting that they preserve documents relating to a ‘matter . . . of high priority’ that your office was investigating.
- “Yet, you did not bring charges until two-and-a-half years later, at a time when the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is in full swing.”
- “Moreover, you have requested that the trial in this matter begin on March 4, 2024, the day before Super Tuesday and eight days before the Georgia presidential primary.”
In a media spectacle Thursday, Trump surrendered to the Fulton County jail, where he was booked on a myriad of charges, such as racketeering, Willis is trying to transform into election interference crimes.