Georgia GOP unveils two new ways to target Fulton County DA Fani Willis

Georgia Republicans are looking for new routes to attack Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as Donald Trump’s election-related RICO trial in Atlanta nears. And they are using unproven allegations of impropriety by Willis, lobbed by one of Trump’s co-defendants, to do it. 

The most explosive allegations by co-defendant Mike Roman claim that Willis had a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor on the Trump case and that they may have used department funds to travel together, and he is moving to have Willis disqualified from the case. Legal experts like MSNBC contributor Glenn Kirschner have argued that such a relationship, if true, doesn’t have any bearing on the case, and the matter is being examined by a judge. 

But Republicans are gung-ho to use the issue as a pretext to get rid of Willis. 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that state Sen. Greg Dolezal has introduced legislation that would establish a new Senate committee tasked with investigating allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.

According to the AJC:

Dolezal’s legislation would create a Senate Special Committee on Investigations that would have the ability to subpoena people and evidence, and require that testimony be given under oath. No other legislative committees require that witnesses testify under oath. Under the measure, if the committee finds there has been misconduct, it can recommend changes to the state law or budget.

A statement from Dolezal makes it clear the unproven allegations from Roman inspired his new bill, which could be used to hamstring Willis with new laws to hamper her work or deplete her office’s budget. The bill is “in response to a wave of concerning reports and court filings regarding District Attorney Fani Willis of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit,” he said. He claimed the filings warrant a “thorough and impartial examination,” which, to reiterate, is precisely what a judge is already undertaking.

But conservatives aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket when it comes to political crusades against Willis. Republicans in the Georgia State House did their part to advance attacks on Willis, as well.

After the Georgia Supreme Court refused to authorize rules for a controversial new prosecutorial review commission (whose members were handpicked by Republicans), GOP representatives voted to exempt the commission from the court’s oversight.

As the Georgia Recorder reported Monday:

On Monday, the House committee passed the bill along party lines after GOP lawmakers rejected a proposal by Lithonia Democratic Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick to allow the leaders of the minority party to appoint two of the five hearing panel members. Currently, the oversight commission members are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor […] and House speaker, all of whom are Republicans.

Needless to say, the news of Georgia Republicans’ revamping their tools to target Willis is bringing joy to ultra-conservative Trump loyalists. They include Colton Moore, the Georgia state senator who suggested there might be another civil war if Republicans didn’t stop Willis from prosecuting Trump. He told the Journal-Constitution that his prayers had been answered.