A state lawmaker in Georgia says it is time to create a special committee to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the latest sign that Republicans intend to go on offense and uncover malfeasance in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump.
The move would fast-track a probe rather than wait for the courts to decide if Ms. Willis and a top deputy had a taxpayer-funded affair that tainted the Trump case.
Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming, proposed legislation this week that would establish the Senate Special Committee on Investigations.
It would have nine members, including three Democrats, and have sweeping power to call any person to testify under oath, among other responsibilities, after a Trump co-defendant alleged Ms. Willis had a taxpayer-funded affair with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired.
In Washington, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called on state officials to conduct a formal investigation into Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade, and how the alleged relationship impacted their racketeering and election subversion case agianst Mr. Trump.
The allegations were bolstered by bank statements filed Friday in Mr. Wade’s divorce case that document his purchase of round-trip airline tickets for Ms. Willis. He bought flights from Atlanta to San Francisco in April on Delta Airlines and bought Ms. Willis and himself round-trip tickets from Atlanta to Miami in October 2022 on American Airlines, the bank statements revealed.
The statements do not disclose whether Ms. Willis reimbursed Mr. Wade for the tickets or explain the purpose of the trips.
“The multitude of accusations surrounding Ms. Willis, spanning from allegations of prosecutorial misconduct to questions about the use of public funds and accusations of an unprofessional relationship, underscores the urgency for a thorough and impartial examination,” Mr. Dolezal said. “We owe it to the public to ensure transparency, accountability and the preservation of the integrity of our justice system.”
Ms. Willis began investigating Mr. Trump three years ago based on his bid to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to dig up enough votes to overtake President Biden’s narrow electoral victory in the state in 2020.
A grand jury last year indicted Mr. Trump and his associates. The former president faces 13 counts, including a violation of Georgia racketeering laws; solicitation of a violation of an oath by a public officer; and several counts related to alleged conspiracies to commit forgery, make false statements and writings or make false filings.
However, 18 co-defendants face an assortment of charges — there are 41 counts in all — that at times overlap with those against Mr. Trump.
One co-defendant, Michael Roman, said Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade may have profited from the prosecution of Mr. Trump and his allies by taking trips after taxpayers paid the special prosecutor. He wants Ms. Willis disqualified.
Mr. Trump said the allegations taint the entire case.
The judge overseeing the Trump case scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing to address claims that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade had an inappropriate relationship while working on the case.
Ms. Willis has until Feb. 2 to formally respond to Mr. Roman’s claims. She hasn’t confirmed or denied the relationship but told church worshippers this month that critics might be attacking her and Mr. Wade for racial reasons.
Separately, a judge in Mr. Wade’s divorce case delayed a planned deposition of Ms. Willis until the court had a chance to learn more details from Mr. Wade.
Some Republicans aren’t waiting for the courts.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan launched a probe this month that says the alleged relationship is tied to GOP suspicions that Fulton County investigators had special access to material gathered by the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Mr. Jordan said Mr. Wade billed taxpayers for meetings with the now-defunct committee in Washington and the White House counsel in Athens, Georgia.
“The committee has serious concerns about the degree of improper coordination among politicized actors — including the Biden White House — to investigate and prosecute President Biden’s chief political opponent,” Mr. Jordan wrote in a letter to Mr. Wade demanding any correspondence between him and the Jan. 6 panel, White House or Department of Justice.
Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, dispatched a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and state Attorney General Christopher M. Carr urging them to formally probe the issue.
“This is part of Fani Willis’ unlawful partisan pattern, through her words and deeds, to illegally politicize and weaponize her public office to wage lawfare against President Trump for the purpose of interfering in the 2024 presidential election,” she wrote. “And now we are learning she has allegedly enriched her secret boyfriend and herself during this process.”
There is no trial date set for the Georgia case, however, as the courts work through a tangle of issues, including the Willis-Wade matter and whether former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows can move his claims to federal court.
Ms. Willis did notch early victories in the case. Three former Trump lawyers — Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis — have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors.