Earlier this year, as it appeared that Donald Trump faced the possibility of an indictment in Fulton County, Republican policymakers in Georgia approved provocative new state legislation. At the heart of the measure was the creation of a new power: Legislators gave themselves the authority to go after prosecutors.
To be sure, it’s a complex process, but as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported overnight, some GOP officials in Atlanta are already exploring ways to use these powers now that the former president has been indicted.
Several Republican lawmakers are seeking ways to sanction Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after she brought criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and 18 allies. Trump backers are going after Willis using a new state law approved by Gov. Brian Kemp that creates a state commission with power to sanction or oust prosecutors found to be neglecting their duties or responsible for an array of other violations.
The report added that one Republican state senator, Clint Dixon, announced yesterday that he intends to file a complaint against the district attorney “in October when the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission begins its proceedings.”
Up until now, the bulk of the pushback against Willis has been rhetorical. Trump, for example, appeared in New Hampshire earlier this month and not only called Willis a “racist” — a label he tends to reserve for Black prosecutors — he also made up a baseless story about the district attorney having an affair with a gang member.
The Republican’s 2024 campaign also launched an attack ad in the Atlanta area, targeting Willis and other prosecutors with a variety of claims that were plainly untrue.
This, of course, was accompanied by a blizzard of taunts and smears Trump pushed by way of his social media platform. The online offensive continued last night and into this morning: The former president falsely accused Willis of coordinating her efforts with the White House, before whining about having to post $200,000 bond. (It was in this latter message in which Trump mused about fleeing to Russia.) Just as importantly, the former president also slammed Brian Kemp, Georgia’s Republican governor, for not doing more to impeach the Fulton County district attorney. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report added that under state law, the legislature has the power to impeach district attorneys, but “those powers have rarely been invoked.” Stepping back, there are a couple of angles to this that are worth keeping in mind. The first is that Trump and his allies do not appear content to simply launch a rhetorical offensive against Willis. Clearly, between the qualifications commission and talk of impeachment, some Republicans are eyeing more consequential measures. And the second is an unanswered question: As part of the conditions of Trump’s release, he’s prohibited from doing anything that obstructs “the administration of justice.” I can’t help but wonder whether the Republican’s campaign against the prosecutor who indicted him might eventually run afoul of these limits, if it hasn’t already.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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