Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis is testifying today in front of a Georgia Senate committee regarding the conduct of her office during its investigation into phone calls President Donald Trump made asking Republican officials to overturn the 2020 election results.
State lawmakers sought to subpoena Willis for more than a year to discuss her conduct during the Trump investigation. That conduct includes Willis’ romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the former deputy prosecutor, who resigned last March after a judge ruled he or Willis had to step away from the Trump case.
Today, Capital B Atlanta reporter Madeline Thigpen is at the Capitol covering the hearing and will share live updates. Tune into the livestream here.
What we know so far
- The Senate Committee inquiry into Fani Willis’ conduct is being led by Sen. Greg Dolezal.
- Dolezal is focused on the hiring timeline and rates paid to Nathan Wade in comparison to other attorneys as well as the forfeiture funds used to pay him and a trip he took to Washington, DC.
- Willis is strident in her defense of her actions, her 92% conviction record and her office, calling one of Dolezal’s questions “ignorant.”
- Dolezal also tried to pursue a link between Willis’s election interference case and the January 6 Commission.
9:55 AM
Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis entered the packed Senate chamber wearing an all white suit. Outside the chamber, supporters gathered. One carried a sign that read: Fearless with Fani.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a big Trump ally and recently announced candidate to fill U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat, is seated in the front row.
Committee chair Bill Cowsert had a medical procedure late last week and is not able to attend, so the meeting is being presided over by Sen. Greg Dolezal.
10:05 AM
Willis’ attorney, and former Gov. Roy Barnes, entered a statement into the record because he is not allowed to make an opening statement.
10:07 AM
Dolezal asked Willis to give a brief career overview. She began by sharing her time at Howard University for her undergraduate degree and then Emory Law School. She also shouted out Keisha Lance Bottoms as a mayoral candidate.
She talked about having prosecuted the longest case in Atlanta history, the public schools cheating scandal.
Later she lost her first DA election, noting, “That was Gods plan.”
She ended with: “I sit here with a 92% conviction rate.”
10:16 AM
Dolezal asked about Nathan Wade’s involvement with Willis’ transition team when she took over the office and fired 50 or 60 people. She said she took counsel from a number of people but Wade was involved with over 50% of interviews.
Willis said you need to look into more funding for “GBI Labs.” She said the scientists they have are excellent, but they don’t have the resources to test everything they need. She specifically named ballistics testing.
10:24 AM
Dolezal asked when Wade was hired, was it solely to work on the elections team or were there other tasks. Willis said she had Wade and other attorneys consult on other cases sometimes.
Dolezal then asked when did she begin to consider bringing charges in the presidential election. Barnes, Willis’ attorney, told her not to answer.
Dolezal asked if Willis was considering prosecuting Trump prior to her taking office or post election. Willis said that’s an ignorant question, “because I was already in office when Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger went on Good Morning America to discuss Trump trying to change the election results.”
10:33 AM
Dolezal asked is it Willis’ testimony that she had no conversations with Wade about a prosecution related to the 2020 election.
Barnes tells Willis not to answer because it’s deliberative (privileged information about an elected DA’s decision making).
Dolezal said the question is about prior to her being sworn in but after the election.
Willis said Dolezal’s question doesn’t make sense because she didn’t know there was going to be a crime prior to taking office.
Dolezal then asked Willis when did she decide to hire outside counsel.
She responded that decision was made when it became obvious that her existing staff wouldn’t be able to devote the time needed for the investigation. She said her priorities at the time were the murders of Secoria Turner and Kennedy Maxwell, whose assailants are currently behind bars.
Barnes won’t allow Willis to answer any questions about why the grand jury returned the indictment.
When asked about the total cost of the election interference case, Willis said, “I don’t recall but I know the AG paid one lawyer $8 million last year.”
When asked for a range, Willis said she would not speculate on numbers.
10:44 AM
Dolezal appeared to be getting frustrated as he and Barnes went back and forth.
Barnes: “You are not a judge and you do not have evidentiary power.”
Dolezal: “I have plenary power.”
Barnes: “No, you do not.” He challenged Dolezal to hold Willis in contempt so she can have a jury trial and Barnes is able to question Dolezal under oath as well.
Dolezal changed tack and asked Willis if she pays vendors or contractors out of a general fund with state, county, and federal funds, or if she uses specific grants.
Willis said she has a team that handles the payment of those expenses. When Dolezal asked whether there’s a DA credit card Willis said she doesn’t have one so no one can accuse her of stealing money.
Dolezal then asked what her understanding is of the allowed uses of forfeiture money. Willis said she has lawyers in her office that know the law surrounding its use and the county makes forfeiture approvals.
Dolezal asked if forfeiture funds were used to pay Wade. Willis said, “I’m unaware if the answer is yes or no.”
Dolezal showed a slide indicating that Wade was paid with forfeiture funds. Dolezal then asked if she knows the rules around paying contractors with forfeiture funds.
Willis said it was her understanding Wade was paid out of her professional services fund.
When asked why use a special assistant district attorney at a rate of $250 an hour instead of her staff, Willis asserted that “we were drowning” and that most of the lawyers in her office were not qualified and those who were qualified did not have the time because they had other very important cases.
11:00 AM
Dolezal asked if Wade prosecuted a RICO case prior to joining her team. Willis said she thinks he had experience prosecuting and defending a RICO case.
“The people of Fulton county have selected me to make these choices, I know you all want to come in with these Qanon committees,” Willis said.
Dolezal then started asking about invoices. Willis told the committee she doesn’t review invoices and doesn’t have firsthand knowledge.
Dolezal put up a slide showing an invoice from the Cross firm totaling $17,615 and then shows Wade’s invoice totaling $35,000.
11:22 AM
After a brief recess, Willis’ testimony began again. Dolezal shared the district attorney’s letter requesting January 6 Commission documents.
Dolezal asked about expenses for a Washington, D.C., trip that included invoices for Wade, Francis Wakeford, and John Wooten. Dolezal asked what they were doing in relation to the election interference case, and then asked if they met with the January 6 Commission.
Pushing back on this line of inquiry, Willis said, “How does this assist you with creating laws?” She accused him of using these events to further his gubernatorial campaign.
“I beg the people of Georgia to elect anyone as lieutenant governor except you,” Willis said. She then went on to say people should donate or vote for Tanya Miller for Georgia attorney general.
Barnes jumped in to defend his client. “You’re trying to infer some wrongdoing when none exists.”
Willis noted, “Many noble Republicans brought this case to me because they knew it was wrong.”
11:50 AM
Dolezal asked Willis about and entity called Critical Mention.
She said it’s used to find witnesses, victims, used for security or find out what’s happening in the community.
Dolezal showed an email from Jeff DiSantis, Willis’ assistant district attorney in charge of media and strategy, about Critical Mention saying Fani Willis is getting more coverage than the Fulton County DA’s office and that the $67 million of advertising is probably inflated but half of it would be staggering.
Dolezal then asked Willis how this is relevant to her job as an elected prosecutor.
Willis said she couldn’t speculate as to another person’s opinion, but that it’s important for her constituents to know the work her office is doing and not have the first time they see the DA be in the courtroom, but when they are handing out backpacks and doing community work.
Dolezal then asked about the source of funds used to pay Critical Mention.
“We’ve been audited 50 million times it’s in one of those audits,” Willis responded. “No DA has been audited as much as me.”
Dolezal then asked if she’s ever investigated then-Sen. Burt Jones, now the lieutenant governor.
Barnes tells his client not to answer because it’s public record and a matter of the deliberative process.
The committee is now taking a 30-minute recess.
1:04 PM
Sen. Harold Jones, a Democrat for District 22, is now asking Willis questions, allowing her to clarify the relevance of previous questions about the Washington, D.C., trip and other parts of the investigation.
“What was the reason for the use of a special purpose grand jury in this election case,” Jones asked.
“To investigate, to make sure I took this matter very seriously,” Willis said. “I was not just going to charge people with a crime before I found evidence, and sadly, a lot of people in government, the governor and other officials, refused to testify unless they had a subpoena. Well, I can’t get a subpoena unless I have a special purpose grand jury, and so we serve them with subpoenas, and they honored their subpoenas, and they came forward.”
1:17 PM
Dolezal asked Willis about testimony from a former employee, Amanda Timpson, who alleged $500,000 in grant money that was earmarked for a youth empowerment and Gang Prevention Center was used improperly by the DA’s office.
Willis said Timpson’s five cases against the DAs office were dismissed.
Dolezal referenced a letter from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley to Willis saying that 92% of federal grant funds were spent on travel and conferences. Willis said she didn’t responded to Grassley’s letter.
“The letter highlights a report that roughly $89,000 of those funds have been diverted to what is known as the offender Alumni Association, Willis replied. “Is that report out here? I don’t have any knowledge, and I’m not going to speculate.”
Dolezal asked if Willis would be willing to provide documents to this committee
“I have provided everything I’m willing to provide,” Willis said. Her lawyer then said they would consider the request.
After a series of questions about the abuse of open records requests, Willis replied: “We’re wasting a lot of time; me and my staff could be keeping people safe, but instead we’re here doing this song and dance with you.”
Willis then brought up an offer from the Department of Justice to come testify against the person who swatted her home and other elected officials.
“What happened to Marjorie Taylor Greene, it’s horrible that she had to quit her job because there were bomb threats to her house and threatening her children. But she didn’t care when it was me. She didn’t care when my children were threatened. She didn’t care that I haven’t had the ability to live my house, but I’m a better human being than that. I don’t want any of your lives threatened.”
1:40 PM
As his last question of the day, Harold Jones asked Willis why she brought this case investigating election interference.
“Folks came in my jurisdiction and broke the law,” Willis said. “And as elected officials, there are things that are precious and that are our responsibility. One in a free society is keeping people safe right, and I stand on the line keeping people safe every single day. I have dedicated my entire career to making sure that people are safe and that they feel valued. Children feel valued no matter who you are. See, I’m not like these people. I believe in diversity. I’ve sat on my floor and cried with little white children, Black children, Spanish children, and I fight with my last breath to keep those people safe. But I have also prosecuted Black people, white people, Asian people. It doesn’t matter to me. It seems to matter to some so I brought this case because they came in this jurisdiction and broke the law. And they didn’t only break the law here, they broke it other places. Because the other thing that we have to do as a free society is we have to protect elections. … I’m willing to stand on the line so y’all can keep threatening, keep bringing me to these committees, keep auditing me, and I’m gonna keep doing my job with excellence.”
