Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a stark warning Thursday to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, threatening legal action over her failure to fully comply with a subpoena related to the investigation into the misuse of federal grant funds.
The escalation signifies a deepening conflict between congressional oversight and local judicial authority, spotlighting the stringent scrutiny on the Fulton County District Attorney’s office and its handling of federal funds.
The subpoena, issued on February 2, compelled DA Willis to produce documents spanning two specific categories: 1) documents and communications referring to the FCDAO’s receipt and use of federal funds and 2) documents and communications concerning any allegations of misuse of these funds.
Willis’ office responded to the February subpoena, but Jordan claims it didn’t include documents about a former employee’s allegations of misuse of federal grant money by another ex-employee. His letter to Willis starkly outlined the committee’s dissatisfaction, accusing the DA’s office of inadequate transparency and cooperation.
“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,” wrote Jordan. “We will not dignify your attacks on this brave whistleblower, or your continued attempts to distract from your conduct through misdirection and personal insults. The allegations in the public realm about your misuse of federal grant funding are concerning, and the Committee has an obligation to examine them.”
The allegations focus on a former employee who claimed she was terminated by Willis shortly after voicing concerns regarding a campaign aide for Willis, who became a county employee, intending to allocate federal grants for purposes beyond those of a youth violence and gang prevention program.
According to Jordan, the female whistleblower was fired after she raised concerns about a decision by Willis to redirect funds for a youth gang diversion program to pay for costs related to her Trump investigation. During a forum at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Rep. Jordan said his witness is prepared to spill all details about the politically charged environment inside Willis’ office.
“No, we haven’t heard back from her yet. We’ll see what we get,” said Jordan last month when asked about whether Willis had responded to the committee’s request for various documents, “but there’s a whistleblower in her office who we have talked to.”
The letter on Thursday further criticized Willis for her partial compliance, noting, “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.” Addressing Willis’ objections to the subpoena as being “overbroad and unduly burdensome,” Jordan retorted that the subpoena’s scope is intentionally narrow and time-bound, covering only documents from January 1, 2020, to the present.
In a final warning, Jordan stressed the urgency and seriousness of the committee’s request, setting a new deadline for compliance. He stated, “If you fail to do so, the Committee will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings.”