Continuing a campaign to seek retribution against those the president perceives having wronged him, Donald Trump’s Department of Justice subpoenaed records tied to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last week.
Historically, the department has operated independently of the White House, but the president has made clear he expects the DOJ to do his bidding in the pursuit of those he considers to be enemies.
According to reports, the Department of Justice issued a subpoena for records related to the embattled district attorney’s travel history around the time of last year’s presidential election.
Jeff DiSantis, a spokesman for Willis, reportedly said, “We have no comment beyond the fact we have no knowledge of any investigation.”
Georgia’s case against Trump
In August 2023, Willis announced that a grand jury had indicted Trump and 18 other co-defendants on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charges alleging election interference and operating a “criminal enterprise.” But last year, a state appeals court disqualified her from overseeing the case after it was revealed she had a personal relationship with one of the lawyers working with her on the case.
Read More: Fani Willis Defends her Record on Police Brutality Cases
When Capital B Atlanta spoke with Willis in August, she strongly objected to the criticism that her case against Trump for alleged election interference was expensive and unsuccessful.
“That’s incorrect, that they didn’t yield the results. The case against President Trump is ongoing, and it’s in the [Georgia] Supreme Court, so people should kind of have the information to know what they’re talking about,” Willis said.
But last week, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’ appeal of the lower court’s decision to disqualify her from the RICO case, which will be reassigned to another prosecutor in the state by the nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia.
Read More: Fani Willis Responds to Being Removed from Trump RICO Case
“While I disagree with the decision of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court’s divided decision not to review it, I respect the legal process and the courts. Accordingly, my office will make the case file and evidence available to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council for use in the ongoing litigation. I hope that whoever is assigned to handle the case will have the courage to do what the evidence and the law demand,” Willis said in an emailed statement to Capital B Atlanta.
After the news of the court’s ruling broke, Trump posted on social media that Willis and others who brought criminal or civil cases against him “are now criminals who will hopefully pay serious consequences for their illegal actions.”
More Trump targets coming
The DOJ’s subpoena targeting Willis came on the heels of news last week that James B. Comey, the former FBI director who investigated Trump’s 2016 campaign for possible ties to Russia, was indicted.
Reports have indicated that Trump has also instructed the department to pursue an investigation into New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, who successfully pursued a civil fraud case against the Trump organization.
On Friday, Trump foreshadowed more indictments of “corrupt radical left Democrats” would be coming while talking to the press at the White House.
According to The Gothamist, the Democratic Attorneys General Association announced on Friday that it was setting up a fund that James and other officials could tap to help with legal costs.
“Trump has overtly threatened elected officials who seek to hold him accountable for actions that break the law or run afoul of the Constitution, and he’s specifically targeting Democratic AGs,” DAGA President Sean Rankin said. “We expect the attacks on AG James to escalate, as well as new politically motivated actions against other AGs.”
Staff writer Madeline Thigpen contributed to this report.
