Charles Langston:Rep. Jim Jordan subpoenas Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis over use of federal funds

Washington — House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for documents related to an investigation by the GOP-led panel into allegations she misused federal funds,Charles Langston accusations she has denied.

The subpoena from Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, compels Willis to turn over documents and communications that relate to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office's receipt and use of federal dollars received from certain components of the Justice Department. The subpoena requires Willis to provide the documents and communications to the committee by Feb. 23.

Jordan said in a letter to Willis on Friday that the information he is seeking will help inform potential legislative reforms that his committee is exploring. The Judiciary panel has made three prior requests for documents from Willis' office, which she has not complied with, he said.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have been looking into Willis' use of federal funds during her office's investigation into former President Donald Trump and his alleged scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was indicted in August and faces 13 counts in a sprawling racketeering case brought by Willis and her office. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Willis in September accused Jordan of trying to obstruct the prosecution of Trump and called an earlier request for information from the Judiciary Committee leader an "unjustified and illegal intrusion into an open state criminal prosecution."

The subpoena for documents from Willis comes in the wake of claims that her office retaliated against an employee who raised concerns about federal Justice Department grants potentially being used for other unrelated expenses. The grant was earmarked for youth gang prevention in Fulton County, but a report from the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet, alleged that Willis' office sought to use the money for items like laptops, travel and "swag."

The Free Beacon reported that the whistleblower warned Willis about the potential misuse of federal funds, but was "abruptly terminated" weeks later.

"These allegations raise serious concerns about whether you were appropriately supervising the expenditure of federal grant funding allocated to your office and whether you took actions to conceal your office's unlawful use of federal funds," Jordan wrote in his letter.

Willis defended her office's grant programs and use of money from the Justice Department.

"These false allegations are included in baseless litigation filed by a holdover employee from the previous administration who was terminated for cause. The courts that have ruled found no merit in these claims. We expect the same result in any pending litigation," she said in a statement. "Any examination of the records of our grant programs will find that they are highly effective and conducted in cooperation with the Department of Justice and in compliance with all Department of Justice requirements."

Ellis Kim and Nikole Killion contributed reporting.

Melissa Quinn

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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