After restructuring its charter and removing the requirement to have its operational procedures approved by the Georgia Supreme Court, the new prosecutorial oversight committee is finally ready to conduct its first case
Written by Chief Political Correspondent Kurt Dillon - Because the truth matters!
The final list of members for the state Senate's special committee tasked with investigating alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was released by Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones' office on Monday night. Comprising six Republican state senators and three Democratic state senators, the committee was approved by the state Senate with a 30-19 vote on Friday.
The members of the committee are as follows:
- Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens)
- Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming)
- Sen. Jason Esteves (D-Atlanta)
- Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon)
- Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia)
- Sen. Harold Jones (D-Augusta)
- Sen. Bo Hatchett (R-Cornelia)
- Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega)
- Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain)
Sen. Cowsert will serve as the chair, and Sen. Dolezal will serve as the vice chair, according to Lt. Gov. Jones' office.
Ironically, DA Willis was removed from prosecuting and including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones back in 2022 by Circuit Court Judge McBurney. The judge justified his removal of Willis by saying:
"...her extensive and direct campaign-related activities on behalf of Candidate Bailey raised serious questions about her objectivity."
You can read that full article here:
Fulton DA Fani Willis Has a History of Being Removed From Cases Because of Her Political Bias
The committee, established through Senate Resolution 465 introduced by Sen. Dolezal, is tasked with investigating alleged misconduct by District Attorney Willis related to her prosecution of former President Donald Trump and others. The accusations against Willis include prosecutorial misconduct, misuse of public funds, and allegations of an unprofessional relationship with her top prosecutor, Nathan Wade.
We have provided a complete list of the allegations against Ms. Willis here as contained in the original court filings.
The committee has the authority to issue subpoenas and compel testimony, aiming to provide a thorough and impartial examination of the allegations. It will focus on determining if there were conflicts of interest or misuse of taxpayer dollars in the relationship between Willis and Wade.
The investigation stems from a grand jury indictment in August 2023, accusing Trump and others of attempting to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. Recent court filings by one of Trump's co-defendants, Michael Roman, allege an improper romantic relationship between Willis and Wade.
While the committee has the power to issue recommendations based on its findings, it cannot directly sanction Willis. Critics, including Democrats, view the committee as a partisan effort and question its focus, suggesting that local authorities or voters should handle issues related to alleged misuse of funds.
The committee will hold significant powers, including issuing subpoenas and requiring testimony under oath, making it a unique legislative body in Georgia. A hearing on the allegations of an improper romantic relationship between Willis and Wade is set for February 15 before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee.
Of course, this is a developing story and you can count on Wild Orchid Media to provide you with up-to-the-minute updates as new information is released or otherwise becomes available.
For more information on this and other stories we cover, please visit our website at www.veracityreport.org.
Sources that contributed to the development of this story were: The Georgia Senate, Atlanta First News, NBC News, 11 Alive News Atlanta, The Associated Press, US News and World Report, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, PBS, CNN, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Daily Caller.
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