In an angry letter addressed last week to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, disgraced Fulton County DA Fani Willis wailed about the congressional committee purportedly "bully[ing]" her by investigating the affairs of her office. She suggested that he should be celebrating Black History Month instead.
"Rather than honor and uphold the oath you took, you have chosen to expend your time attempting to bully me, which is a complete waste of your time," Willis wrote, according to a copy of the correspondence obtained by The New York Times. "Might I suggest that instead of attempting to disrupt this office's work protecting the people of Fulton County, that you celebrate Black History Month by visiting children in your district to teach them about the many contributions African Americans have made to this country—including those who have advanced democracy by successfully advocating that this nation live up to its ideals that everyone is equal before the law and everyone has the right to have their voice heard through exercising their right to vote. That would be a much more productive use of your time."
Willis touted her record of defending America's "multi-racial democracy" birthed by "centuries of racist violence and systematic oppression."
"For my entire tenure as District Attorney of Fulton County, I have sought to honor my oath to the people of Georgia and to defend our shared, multiracial democracy, which emerged after centuries of racist violence and systematic oppression of Black, Brown, and Native peoples, women, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and so many others," she said. "Come what may, I will not stop defending this vision of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive society governed not by tyrants but by the rule of law."
Willis accused Jordan, whose investigative committee is turning their attention to her underlings, of targeting "honorable public servants" and "heroic Americans who, like me, have put themselves at risk to defend our democracy." She then cited a New York Times article characterizing her as a "Victim of Racist Threats."
"Now, at the pinnacle of power," Willis went on, "you are harassing them with frivolous requests instead of using your position to better our communities."
On February 6, Jordan demanded documents and testimony from several Willis staffers concerning confirmed coordination between the Fulton County District Attorney (FCDA)'s Office and the January 6 Select Committee. According to the testimony of Dexter Bond, an assistant DA in the Willis administration, these individuals working under Willis traveled to Washington at the expense of Fulton County taxpayers to meet with members of the J6 panel, coordinate investigations, and review non-public congressional records. Because Willis has repeatedly refused to cooperate with their congressional probe, Jordan's committee began pursuing other avenues to obtain this information.
Willis asserted that disclosing such details about an "active" investigation "threatens the integrity of an ongoing criminal matter," including "our efforts to hold individuals accountable for their role in an attempted coup"; "ignores centuries of precedent" pertaining to the limits of congressional power; and "tramples over foundational principles of state sovereignty and federalism."
"Let us speak plainly, Mr. Jordan. Your so-called 'investigation' into the Office's contacts with the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has never been anything more than a dangerous attempt, performed at the behest of those under investigation, to obstruct our Office from our ongoing criminal prosecutions and investigations," Willis claimed.
Willis was kicked off the Trump election interference case in December. She has since filed an appeal asking the state's Supreme Court to overturn the Georgia appellate court's disqualification decision, which found that Willis cannot continue to prosecute the case because of an "appearance of impropriety" she brought about by benefiting financially from an undisclosed affair she had with special counsel Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to spearhead the Trump prosecution.
Willis told Jordan that these records are not subject to disclosure via attorney-client privilege and work-product protections, reiterating that "we must avoid any actions that could potentially compromise an ongoing investigation and prosecution by this office."
"Accordingly, I have instructed FCDA staff not to provide your committee with any documents that remain in the custody of the Office, to which the Office and I have already asserted privileges and have determined that we cannot produce," Willis wrote. Henceforth, she stipulated, her workers are "not permitted to waive privilege over information that they obtained as part of their work for [the] FCDA."
She, however, added that they are allowed to speak with Jordan voluntarily about non-exempt matters, as her lover, Wade, was permitted. Wade ended up delivering a damning deposition before Congress despite Willis ordering him not to answer certain questions under oath due to the "confidential" nature of the information. Ahead of the tell-all interview, Willis claimed that the congressional proceedings could compel Wade to divulge "highly sensitive" knowledge that "still belongs" to her office.
Later on in the four-page letter, Willis also criticized the U.S. Justice Department's handling of its case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "Where is your outrage about this perversion of justice?" Willis questioned, claiming Jordan is "wasting taxpayer money" on a "baseless pursuit" going after her.
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