The Georgia State Senate, in a 30-19 vote on Friday, decided to establish a special committee to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
This move follows allegations by Republican senators that she misused taxpayer funds in her prosecution of former President Trump. The committee’s role is to provide recommendations on state laws and expenditures based on its findings.
Notably, it does not require approval from the Georgia House or Governor Brian Kemp (R), and it lacks the authority to directly penalize Willis, as reported by The Associated Press.
Republicans argue that the committee is essential to examine potential misuse of tax dollars by Willis, while Democrats view it as a partisan effort aligned with Trump.
Willis faces additional claims of a romantic involvement with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she appointed to lead Trump’s 2020 election interference case. Supporters of Trump contend that this alleged relationship indicates prosecutorial misconduct.
Willis has yet to publicly address these allegations, but she defended Wade’s qualifications in a speech on January 14.
The Associated Press reported on credit card statements from Wade’s divorce case, revealing purchases of plane tickets for him and Willis to Miami and San Francisco.
Many Republicans supporting the committee also backed Trump’s attempts to challenge the 2020 presidential results in Georgia.
The bill states that if the relationship between Willis and Wade is proven, it would be considered a clear conflict of interest and a fraud against Fulton County and the State of Georgia taxpayers.
This would provide grounds for Willis to recuse herself, appointing a new individual to handle the cases instead of Wade.
“Today, Republicans voted to punish an elected official for telling the truth. The GOP wouldn’t even hear what we had to say,” Georgia State Democrats wrote on X. “You can’t claim to be the party that stands for our rights and freedoms anymore.”
“Today was all about red herrings. We want to know the truth about Trump’s attempt to steal the 2020 election. The GOP doesn’t. They’re doing everything they can to shift attention from what matters — the former President’s crimes,” they said in another tweet.
