House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan shot back Wednesday at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for her response to the committee’s investigation into her prosecution of former President Donald Trump, saying it’s clear that the criminal case is motivated by “advancing a political cause” and her bid for “notoriety.”
Earlier this month, Ms. Willis expressed her disapproval for the committee’s decision to investigate the Georgia election interference case that led to the indictment of Mr. Trump and 18 others for racketeering charges. She accused Mr. Jordan of interfering with her case by overstepping his congressional authority.
In a nine-page letter sent Wednesday, Mr. Jordan told Ms. Willis that her claims have “already been considered and rejected in federal court.” He denied obstructing her case.
“Your letter contends that the Committee, by conducting oversight into apparently politicized local prosecutions, is ‘obstruct[ing] a Georgia criminal proceeding’ and ‘advanc[ing] outrageous partisan misrepresentations,’” he wrote. “Your position is wrong.”
The chairman said the committee has a “strong legislative interest” in making sure that locally elected prosecutors don’t abuse their authority to “target federal officials for political reasons.”
“We can conclude from your hostile response to the committee’s oversight that you are actively and aggressively engaged in such a scheme,” Mr. Jordan wrote.
In her letter, the district attorney said Congress had no business getting involved in her case because there is “no justification in the Constitution” for them to interfere with a state criminal case.
“If state or local prosecutors can engage in politically motivated prosecutions of senior federal officers for acts they performed while in federal office, this could have a profound impact on how federal officers choose to exercise their powers,” Mr. Jordan responded in his letter.
He also pointed out that a Special Grand Jury report revealed that she “contemplated an even more extensive intrusion into federal interests,” because the jury recommended the indictment of others including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
The committee launched the investigation into Ms. Willis in August with a letter asking whether she ever spoke or coordinated with the Justice Department or has used federal money to conduct her investigation. They accused her investigation of being politically motivated.
“The information that we seek will allow us to assess the extent to which your indictment is politically motivated and whether Congress should therefore draft legislative reforms to, among other things, protect former and current presidents from politically motivated prosecutions,” the committee said.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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