Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered by a Georgia court to pay nearly $22,000 to Judicial Watch for failing to respond to an open records request and for hiding communications. Judicial Watch had requested records related to communications between Willis’ office and the Department of Justice, specifically with special counsel Jack Smith and the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, events at the Capitol.
The court found that Willis’ office ignored the request and incorrectly told the Open Records Custodian that no related records existed. This was found suspicious by Judicial Watch, which later discovered at least one document that should have been available. Judge Robert McBurney noted that the DA's office had repeatedly denied possessing these records, yet later acknowledged that some existed but claimed they were exempt from disclosure.
Judge McBurney emphasized that compliance with open records requests is mandatory and that ignoring them has consequences. He ruled that the late disclosure of potentially exempt communications violated Judicial Watch's rights under the open records law. As a result, Willis was ordered to cover Judicial Watch's legal fees within two weeks.
Judicial Watch's president, Tom Fitton, criticized Willis for breaking the law and expressed the desire to uncover the truth about her office's alleged political connections with the January 6 committee. The DA’s office has not commented on the court’s decision.
Recently, Willis has faced multiple allegations of misconduct. In December 2023, she was disqualified from a case against President-elect Donald Trump due to an affair with a special prosecutor. Additionally, her office is under investigation for improperly using federal grant money meant for a youth gang prevention program. A whistleblower claimed that the funds were spent on unrelated expenses.
No comments:
Post a Comment