Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican and House Judiciary Committee chairman, threatened Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with contempt Thursday over her failure to comply with a subpoena and document request.
Ms. Willis’ office submitted documents last month, but Mr. Jordan says she didn’t include documents he requested about federal grant funds given to the district attorney’s office, along with any documents related to a purported misuse of federal grant money.
“We appreciate that you have produced a narrow set of documents in response to the subpoena, but your compliance with the subpoena to date is deficient,” the Ohio Republican said in the letter to Ms. Willis, adding if she doesn’t comply she will be held in contempt.
The subpoena was sent early last month after a whistleblower, who claimed to be a former employee, said she was fired after she started speaking out about a county employee, a former aide of Ms. Willis.
According to the whistleblower, the former aide hoped to use federal grants for other purposes, including the creation of a Center of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention.
“On February 23, 2024, you responded to the Committee’s subpoena with a letter in which you smeared a former employee of yours who spoke out about your misuse of federal grant funds,” Mr. Jordan said in the letter.
“We will not dignify your attacks on this brave whistleblower, or your continued attempts to distract from your conduct through misdirection and personal insults,” he said. “The allegations in the public realm about your misuse of federal grant funding are concerning, and the Committee has an obligation to examine them.”
According to the subpoena, the grant was for $488,000.
The allegations surfaced at the same time Ms. Willis was in the public eye for her undisclosed relationship with a special prosecutor whom she hired to work on the 2020 election interference case involving former President Donald Trump and several co-defendants.
Her office has denied that any federal funds were misspent. Mr. Jordan gave Ms. Willis until noon on March 28 to produce the documents he has requested.
The Washington Times has reached out to Ms. Willis’ office for comment.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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