In Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis on Thursday reprimanded Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, for his decision to investigate the Georgia election interference investigation that led to the indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants.
In a letter, Willis, a Democrat, accused Jordan R-Ohio of overstepping his congressional authority with his recent requests for information related to her investigation.
Willis, responding to a letter Jordan sent late last month, said there is “no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere in a state criminal case.”
Trump was indicted in Fulton County last month on racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges in a 41-count indictment that named 19 defendants. Jordan announced he would launch a congressional inquiry into Willis’s investigation shortly before Trump surrendered at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail.
“The obvious purpose” of Jordan’s requests, Willis said, “is to obstruct criminal proceedings in Georgia and promote excessive partisan misrepresentations.” She said his public statements and recent letter “make it clear that you have no legitimate legislative purpose for that investigation.”
“Your job description as a legislator does not include enforcing criminal law nor overseeing a specific criminal process because you believe this will further your partisan political objectives,” she said.
“Your letter makes it clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice and the ethical obligations of attorneys in general and prosecutors in particular,” Willis added.
She then wrote that while “settled constitutional law” allows her to “ignore your unjustified and illegal infringement of a public criminal prosecution,” she would reply to some parts of his original letter.
Willis also said that if people want to avoid crimes in Fulton County, such as violations of state racketeering laws, or RICO laws, they shouldn’t commit those crimes.
She wrote that Jordan’s doubts about the length of the investigation and the timing of the charges are “baseless,” adding that he had no basis to suggest that her agency improperly spent federal funds. She said her office receives federal grants from the Justice Department and warned that if Congress blocked that money, “you will decide not to prosecute serial rapists, not to deal with hate crimes, and to cancel crime-related programs.” risk children.”
Willis also listed a number of “suggestions for productive activity” from the Judiciary Committee, including that Congress should increase federal grant funds to test untested rape kits and expand a program for children who have problems with the criminal justice system.
Finally, she said that because Jordan appears to have a personal interest in her office, “you should consider directing the USDOJ to investigate the racial threats made to my staff and me because of this investigation.”
The Jordanian office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
