(DailyChive.com) – A Georgia judge has ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to turn over communications tied to her work with special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. House January 6 Committee. This comes after her office failed to comply with a request under Georgia’s Open Records Act (ORA).
The watchdog group Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit back in March. Initially, Willis’s office claimed it had no records of contact with Smith or the January 6 Committee. But later, it became clear her office did have such records. On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Willis must release these documents within five days and pay the legal fees for Judicial Watch.
The court also found that Willis violated the state’s open records law by ignoring Judicial Watch’s lawsuit. Instead of providing a proper defense, Willis argued she wasn’t served with the lawsuit correctly. Judge McBurney dismissed that claim, stating that Judicial Watch had proven its case.
“This is a first for us,” said Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch. “In 30 years of doing this work, we’ve never seen a government official default for failing to respond to an open records case. We look forward to getting these documents, which may reveal coordination between Willis, the Biden administration, and Congress in her efforts to prosecute former President Trump.”
The records Judicial Watch is seeking stem from a broader investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers want to know if Willis worked with the January 6 Committee as part of her high-profile case against Trump and 18 others for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
Willis has charged Trump under Georgia’s RICO Act and accused him of conspiracy, false statements, and other crimes. Four co-defendants have already taken plea deals, agreeing to testify against Trump and others.
Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team has been fighting back. They’re asking a Georgia appeals court to review whether Willis should be removed from the case entirely. While the charges haven’t been dropped, the case is currently paused as appeals play out.
A hearing on Judicial Watch’s legal fees is scheduled for December 20, 2024, as Willis faces growing scrutiny over her handling of the case.
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