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Willis Accuses Jordan of ‘Attacking’ Her, ‘Trying to Interfere in a Criminal Investigation’

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is going after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, accusing the Ohio Republican of “attacking her” because he’s investigating her for alleged misconduct while she is prosecuting the case in Georgia involving former President Donald Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election.

Earlier this year, Jordan said she would hold Willis in contempt of Congress if she didn’t help with an investigation into how she spent federal money.

During an interview Monday night on MSNBC with host Rachel Maddow, Willis called the investigation “illegitimate” and “disgusting.” Willis, who is running for re-election in the Georgia Democratic primary on Tuesday, also spoke out against a similar investigation going on at the state level.

“I bring that up at the federal level because now at the state level, they’ve decided to follow this clown’s lead, and they want to now try to interfere in an investigation. And it’s not legitimate either. And so, it shall fail, and it’s not going to go anywhere. But they are trying to attack me at every level,” Willis said.

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Hearings about Willis’s behavior, specifically a relationship between her and a prosecutor she assigned to the case, have halted the criminal case against Trump in Georgia. Nathan Wade recused himself from the case in March after Judge Scott McAfee said that one of them had to step down.

The case still doesn’t have a trial date, but Willis wanted it to start in August 2024, which doesn’t look likely now.

Below is a transcript, via Grabien:

MADDOW: “This strikes me very close to my heart because I feel like this is one of the first times I have seen people standing up for you on this point. I wanted to ask how it strikes you. Do you agree with their assessment of what’s going on?”

WILLIS: “Well, as you know, let’s start with the federal government and Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan has, time after time after time, attacked my office with no legitimate purpose. Anyone who knows Jim Jordan’s history knows that he only has the purpose of trying to interfere in a criminal investigation. He has now turned his tricks to he’s going to look at grant programs, which I invite him to do, and we have complied with his subpoenas, but yet he continues his attacks to try to interfere in a criminal investigation, all while his jurisdiction has one of the worst crime rates, has poverty issues, and not one time has he used his position to try to investigate people who are attacking me and attacking others legitimately doing their jobs — making him illegitimate in his position, and it’s disgusting. So I bring that up at the federal level because now, at the state level, they have decided to follow this clown’s lead and they want to now try to interfere in an investigation. And it’s not legitimate either, so it shall fail, and it’s not going to go anywhere.

But they are trying to attack me at every level. As you know, today is an exciting day for me because I’m on a ballot tomorrow. I have a Democratic challenger and I plan to win and win big tomorrow. But I also have a Republican challenger coming up in November, who’s unqualified, been practicing law for less than four years, has never practiced criminal law, but has already got PACs supporting her, already has the national Democratic — excuse me, the national Republican Party, as well as the local Republican Party, supporting her. And so, I am thankful to those three Democrats who stood up for what is right, but I am at a point where I need Fulton County voters to get out and vote. I need people around the country to support me, big and small, to say that we are going to be a country that still believes in the rule of law. We are not going to allow people to be attacked while they do their job. Having prosecutors that are free from interference and are allowed to just look at cases, look at the facts, and if people broke the law, to bring charges, has to go on for us to live in a free society. The sad part, though, for all of them, Ms. Maddow, is it doesn’t matter how many times they attack me. I am not going to be broken and I’m still going to be standing here, doing my job lawfully.”

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MADDOW: “Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, I know it’s a very busy time with the primary tomorrow and with everything going on in your life, and the slings and arrows that you’re dealing with. Thank you for being willing to talk with me and my audience tonight about this, and good luck to you. Stay safe.”

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