Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) revealed on Thursday he sent a letter expressing his intention to hold Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in contempt of Congress if she does not comply with a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee by the end of March.
A press release detailed Thursday the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has threatened to hold Willis in contempt over her alleged refusal to comply with a subpoena issued more than a month ago.
Jordan said in his letter that the House Judiciary Committee only got “a narrow set of documents” from Willis and her office in response to its February 2 subpoena. The Ohio representative warned Willis her “compliance with the subpoena to date is deficient.”
The committee is seeking “all documents and communications referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds” by Willis’ office, referencing the claim the district attorney fired a whistleblower who expressed deep concerns to Willis about alleged financial mismanagement by her subordinates.
Additionally, the House Judiciary Committee wants Willis to provide records of any communications between Willis’ office and the Department of Justice (DOJ), any communications from employees about the “receipt or use of federal grants,” and a series of other materials related to how her office spends federal money it receives.
Jordan wrote to Willis, “the Committee expects that you will produce all responsive documents to the subpoena in the categories prioritized by the Committee no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 28, 2024.”
He warned, “If you fail to do so, the Committee will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings.”
The congressman wrote to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that “Georgians deserve to know where their federal tax dollars are going,” and as a result, “Contempt is on the table.”
Georgians deserve to know where their federal tax dollars are going.
But Fani Willis hasn’t produced the documents we subpoenaed.
Contempt is on the table. https://t.co/7CDxJhffOF
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) March 14, 2024
The potential for Willis to be held in contempt of Congress comes as she awaits a ruling from Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to determine whether she will be disqualified from the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump.
Multiple defendants have asked for Willis to be disqualified due to her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a defense attorney she appointed to oversee the case against Trump. Wade has earned more than $650,000 since Willis appointed him, and Wade paid for luxurious vacations the couple shared using his company credit card.
Willis and Wade separately testified that their relationship began after his appointment, though at least three witnesses claim that they began dating as early as 2019. They also said Willis repaid Wade for the vacation expenses with unrecorded cash transactions or by covering incidental purchases and excursions during the trips.
Though once considered rare, two prominent conservatives have been convicted for defying a congressional subpoena under the Biden administration.
War Room host Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison in 2022 after he refused a subpoena from the House January 6 committee, but the sentence was later stayed pending appeal.
Former Trump administration trade advisor Peter Navarro was similarly convicted for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the same committee, but Obama-appointed D.C. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta refused Navarro’s request to stay the sentence pending his appeal. He is scheduled to begin a four-month sentence Tuesday.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Fani Willis” by Fani Willis.
