A Georgia state lawmaker 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 the offensive and uncover malfeasance in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump.
The move would fast-track an investigation rather than wait for the courts to decide whether Ms. Willis and a top deputy had a taxpayer-funded affair that tainted the Trump case.
Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming, introduced legislation this week that would establish a Senate special committee on investigations.
The proposed committee would have nine members, including three Democrats, and sweeping power to call any person to testify under oath, among other responsibilities. It would investigate allegations by a Trump co-defendant that Ms. Willis had a taxpayer-funded affair with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, called on state officials to formally investigate Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade and how the alleged relationship impacted their racketeering and election subversion case against Mr. Trump.
“This is a kind of action that a Trump supporter can do and get a lot of pats on the back from Trump voters,” University of Georgia politics professor Charles S. Bullock III said of the flurry of Republican investigations. “It might slow down what’s happening there in the courts, which, again, would make Trump himself and his supporters happy. They can drag this out so nothing happens before the election. That would be seen as a win by Republicans.”
The allegations were bolstered by bank statements filed Friday in Mr. Wade’s divorce case documenting his purchase of round-trip airline tickets for Ms. Willis. He bought flights from Atlanta to San Francisco in April on Delta Air Lines 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 Joseph R. 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.
Eighteen co-defendants face an assortment of charges — 41 counts in all — that at times overlap with those against Mr. Trump.
Co-defendant Michael Roman said Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade might 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 Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, launched an inquiry this month into whether the alleged relationship is tied to suspicions that Fulton County investigators had special access to material gathered by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
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 select subcommittee, White House or Department of Justice.
Ms. Greene dispatched a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and state Attorney General Christopher M. Carr urging them to formally investigate 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.”
No trial date has been set for the Georgia case 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 attorneys — Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis — have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors.
The stakes are high, given surveys that show a criminal conviction could dent support for Mr. Trump among independents and some Republicans in a rematch against Mr. Biden.
Experts said the Willis matter could slow down the gears of justice, though it is unlikely to quash the case against Mr. Trump. It may be difficult to prove that Mr. Wade used taxpayer money for the alleged trips with Ms. Willis.
“This shouldn’t have anything to do with the actual prosecution,” Mr. Bullock said. “The optics are bad, but this shouldn’t derail the case.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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