House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has threatened possible contempt proceedings against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) if she fails to fully comply with a subpoena requesting information about her office's use of federal funds. The subpoena, issued in February, is part of the committee's investigation into allegations that Willis's office misused federal grant money intended to support at-risk youth and gang prevention programs.
In a letter to Willis, Jordan expressed dissatisfaction with the district attorney's response to the subpoena thus far, stating, "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." He set a deadline of March 28 at 12:00 p.m. for Willis to produce all responsive documents, warning that failure to do so would lead the committee to consider "taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings."
The allegations at the center of the probe stem from a now-terminated employee who raised concerns about how a Willis campaign aide-turned county employee hoped to use federal grants for items outside the scope of a youth violence and gang prevention program. According to Jordan, the whistleblower claimed that Willis fired her shortly after she flagged these concerns.
In a recording of the whistleblower's conversation with Willis, the district attorney does not dispute that the other employee's desires to spend grant money on laptops and "swag" would be inappropriate. However, it remains unclear whether the federal funds in question were ultimately spent inappropriately.
Willis has denied any wrongdoing, stating in February, "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. 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."
Despite Willis's office having turned over "15 award letters from the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs and Office of Violence Against [Women], and approximately 27 screenshots of Expense Budget Summaries," Jordan remains focused on obtaining any documents related to the whistleblower's claims, including the office's coordination with the Justice Department offices that oversee the grant funding.
"The allegations in the public realm about your misuse of federal grant funding are concerning, and the Committee has an obligation to examine them," Jordan wrote in the letter.
This development comes as Willis faces unrelated scrutiny over her relationship with one of her top prosecutors in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the election probe.
In her initial response to the subpoena, Willis defended her office's use of federal funds, stating, "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."
As the March 28 deadline approaches, the House Judiciary Committee's investigation into Willis's use of federal funds continues to unfold, with the potential for contempt proceedings looming if the district attorney fails to fully comply with the subpoena. The outcome of this probe may have significant implications for Willis, her office, and the ongoing election interference case against former President Trump.
The Hill and ABC News also contributed to this report.
