DA Willis under fire for habitually ignoring committee subpoenas
Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis isn't having a great year, and her legal situation might have just worsened significantly.
According to reports, the Georgia Senate Special Committee recently slammed Willis for her reported non-compliance with several subpoenas after she faced several legal disputes.
The disputes centered around "requested documents and testimony related to her investigation of President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference," stemming from her case against him launched far before he became president once again.
Willis has apparently habitually ignored subpoenas related to the case, arguing that she didn't have to comply -- a claim that has been disputed by Committee attorney Josh Belinfante.
What's happening?
Belinfante said, "That person could be held in criminal contempt," referring to Willis, adding that he believes her capacity to ignore subpoenas has already expired, therefore keeping her on the hook for answering them.
He added, "That has expired and there is no appealable order at this time because we reached [an] agreement with them. There is nothing to appeal on the prior documents subpoena. It is moot because there is that agreement."
"On the witness, we think they’ve waived the argument long ago, and so that time is gone and even then, it would take both superior courts to decide whether to allow an appeal to proceed, but that time is gone. There’s no final order right now," Belinfante continued.
The outlet noted:
Willis agreed to provide some requested documents, but disputes over key records and her testimony remain unresolved. Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-GA) criticized her delays, claiming she has shown a disregard for state authorities and accountability.
"The DA has thumbed her nose at this committee, she has thumbed her nose at Georgia’s open record law, and I just have limited confidence that she’s acting in good faith," Dolezal said.
He added, "So I do believe that we may be at the point that we do need to escalate this to the next step."
Possible legal action
Willis could soon be on the hook for ignoring the subpoenas, as committee members are already talking about dates when it could take the next steps in going after her, including holding her in contempt.
"And if they will agree to a date, then we’ll issue the subpoena, and I think they will honor their word. If not, we’re going to have a whole other problem," said Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-GA).
“And same thing on the documents, just say we’ve hit the end of our road. We need them by April 15th. You’ve already agreed to give them to us, and if they say they won’t, we’re going to have to circle back with you," the Republican senator continued.
It'll be interesting to see if Willis has to be held accountable for it. Only time will tell.