ATLANTA — Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a letter Thursday with a deadline for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to produce classes of documents he alleges she has withheld following a February subpoena.
If the classes of documents aren't produced by March 28 at noon, the letter said the Committee "will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings."
The February subpoena demanded documents relating to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office and federal funding after allegations from a whistleblower that the office had misused such funds.
Willis, in a response at the time, called the allegations "false" and said they were "included in baseless litigation filed by a holdover employee from the previous administration who was terminated for cause."
Since then, Jordan's letter Thursday indicated Willis has complied with the subpoena in part but accused her of not complying in full.
"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," it stated.
Willis is accused of failing to produce classes of documents, including:
Those "referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds by the FCDAO" (Fulton County District Attorney's Office);
- Those "between or among the FCDAO and the Justice Department, including its OJP (Office of Justice Programs) and OVW (Office of Violence Against Women) components;"
- Those "between FCDAO employees about the receipt or use of federal grants;"
- Those "that fall within the scope of the subpoena, such as the FCDAO's Applications, Proposal Abstracts, Grant Agreements, Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire, and Consolidated Budget Summary documents;"
- And those "relating to the FCDAO's Grant Performance Measurement and Progress Reporting Information."
The letter states Willis has responded with an objection that the subpoena is "overbroad and unduly burdensome under any ordinary meaning of those terms." The letter argues that "to the contrary, the Committee has exercised its authority with restraint."
"The courts that have ruled found no merit in these claims," Willis said in February of the whistleblower accusations. "We expect the same result in any pending litigation. 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. Our federal grant programs are focused on helping at-risk youth and seeking justice for sexual assault victims who were too long ignored. Our federal grant-funded Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has been cited by the United States Attorney General as a model program. We are proud of our grant programs and our partnership with the Department of Justice that makes Fulton County a safer, more just place.”
Jordan's letter contends the accusations are "concerning, and the Committee has an obligation to examine them."
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