ATLANTA — Fani Willis jousted with a Republican Georgia state senator Wednesday about the motives of a special committee in a testy hearing Wednesday as they tried to pin down details about how Willis decided to prosecute Donald Trump and pay for that prosecution.
The hearing began with Sen. Greg Dolezal, the committee vice chair, questioning Fulton County’s Democratic district attorney about her background and the makeup of her office.
The Republican-dominated state Senate in January 2024 created the Special Committee on Investigations to examine allegations of misconduct against Willis concerning her case seeking criminal convictions for efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss in Georgia. Even before Trump embarked on a retribution campaign against his enemies, Republicans on the Georgia committee were eager to bring Willis in for questioning.
Willis says she didn't decide to prosecute Trump before taking office
In an often tense exchange with Dolezal, Willis denied deciding she was going to prosecute Trump before taking office.
“That’s what we call a lie,” Willis said.
“I didn’t know he was going to commit a crime prior to me taking office. It’s factually impossible,” she said. Willis took office on Jan. 1, 2021.
Asked how much money her office spent prosecuting the election interference case against Trump and others, Willis said she didn't know.
“Whatever it cost, they tried to steal the rights of thousands of Georgians. It couldn’t have been enough,” she said.
When Willis announced the indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, she used the state's anti-racketeering law to allege a conspiracy to try to illegally overturn Trump's narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Republican-led committee has focused on Willis’ hiring of special prosecutor
Republicans didn't like the prosecution of Trump, but the committee has focused on Willis' hiring of special prosecutor Nathan Wade to lead the election interference case. The resolution creating the committee said a romantic relationship between the two amounted to a "clear conflict of interest and a fraud upon the taxpayers." But now the case is defunct after Willis was removed and another prosecutor dismissed it.
Willis told Dolezal she hired Wade “because we were drowning” in other cases. “Every lawyer I had with that level of experience had a huge project,” Willis said.
“I made a decision, the people of Fulton County elected me to make that decision, and I did,” Willis said.
As Dolezal questioned how much Wade was paid, Willis listed out payments for lawyers from the Georgia attorney general, including prominent Republican lawyer Josh Belinfante, who advises the committee and was present. Dolezal cut off Willis’ microphone when she spoke over his attempts to move on.
State senator suggests Willis was working with Biden administration
Dolezal displayed bills showing that Wade and others traveled to Washington, apparently part of an effort to suggest that Willis was working with the House January 6 committee or the Biden White House to prosecute Trump.
Willis said Wade probably traveled to Washington to “get information on some of the criminals I ended up indicting.”
Willis said meetings with Biden White House officials were part of a procedure to request documents or testimony from the federal government.
“You’re trying to imply some wrongdoing where none exists,” said Roy Barnes, the former Democratic Georgia governor representing Willis.
Democrats have decried the panel as a partisan time-waster driven by political ambition. Four Republicans on the committee are running for statewide office in 2026. Chairman Bill Cowsert of Athens is running for attorney general, though he was unable to attend the hearing for medical reasons. Sens. Dolezal of Cumming, Blake Tillery of Vidalia and Steve Gooch of Dahlonega are each seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Another Republican who had been on the committee, John Kennedy of Macon, resigned from the Senate last week to pursue his own bid for lieutenant governor.
Willis repeatedly asserted that the committee was attacking her for political gain: “This is about folks sitting here trying to get elected.”
Thus far, the committee has turned up few new facts regarding Willis' activities. Trump has called Willis a "criminal" who should be "prosecuted" and "put in jail."
Former Democratic governor representing Willis says it's a 'witch hunt'
Barnes counseled Willis against answering some questions and also engaged in some heated exchanges with Dolezal, at one point saying, “This is a witch hunt. This has always been a witch hunt.”
Willis also took a shot at lawmakers’ decision to create an agency to investigate prosecutors: “I know y’all want to come in and be daddy and create QANON committees that will judge prosecutors.”
Willis' prosecution of Trump began to fall apart in January 2024, when a defense attorney in the case alleged that Willis was involved in an improper romantic relationship with Wade.
In an extraordinary hearing, both Willis and Wade testified about the intimate details of their relationship. They both vehemently denied allegations that it constituted a conflict of interest.
The trial judge chided Willis for a "tremendous lapse in judgment," ultimately ruling that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.
But after defense attorneys appealed, the Georgia Court of Appeals cited an "appearance of impropriety" and removed Willis from the case. The state Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis' appeal.
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