Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson are investigating whether or not Fulton County District Lawyer Fani Willis’ workplace misused federal funds.
The 2 Republican senators highlighted a number of experiences accusing Willis’ workplace of squandering funds, together with from the Justice Division Workplace of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and different initiatives, on frivolous gadgets similar to “swag” and unrelated journey.
“In Fiscal 12 months (FY) 2020, OJJDP awarded Fulton County almost $500,000 to determine the Fulton County Heart of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention,” Grassley (R-Iowa) and Johnson (R-Wis.) wrote in a letter to Willis Wednesday.
“The Heart has but to open and the ‘constructing meant to deal with it’s closed to the general public, its gates padlocked.’”
They cited Washington Free Beacon reporting on Willis, a Democrat, firing Amanda Timpson, beforehand the pinnacle of gang prevention and intervention on the DA workplace. She was the one who sounded the alarm in regards to the potential misuse of OJJDP funds.
“The waste or misuse of taxpayer funds is unacceptable,” the Republican duo wrote.
Johnson and Grassley’s probe comes after Home Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Willis again in February over related allegations of mishandling federal funds.
Jordan has additionally threatened to carry Willis in contempt if she doesn’t comply together with his calls for.
Willis has been underneath fireplace from Republicans as she leads the 10-count Georgia election tampering case towards former President Donald Trump.
Along with issues over the OJJDP fund use, the 2 GOP senators highlighted different monetary questions revolving across the Fulton County DA’s workplace.
This features a report from the Washington Free Beacon final month that the Justice Division found “inconsistencies” in Fulton County’s disclosure to the Federal Subaward Reporting System.
Grassley and Johnson additionally flagged how the Fulton County DA’s workplace reportedly obtained $2 million from a Sexual Assault Package Initiative however spent about 49% of that on journey and different bills between 2020 and 2023.
“The obvious and important discrepancy between the aim of the federal award of taxpayer cash and the precise use of that cash raises alarms that it hasn’t been used as Congress supposed,” they wrote.
The 2 senators are demanding a listing of grants the Fulton County DA’s workplace garnered since fiscal 12 months 2019. Willis ascended to the district lawyer perch in 2021.
Additionally they desire a listing of expenditures and deliberate expenditures for every grant.
Willis was given a deadline of Could 29 to adjust to that request.
Georgia’s state legislature can also be conducting an investigation into Willis.
In regard to that investigation she has mentioned: “They will look all they need. The DA’s workplace has completed all the things based on the books.”
Willis has additionally been underneath fireplace for her relationship with Nathan Wade, whome she appointed as particular prosecutor within the Trump case.
Wade has since stepped down from the election racketeering case after Choose Scott McAfee decided the pair couldn’t each be concerned in it, as a result of “appearace of impropriety” their relationship created.
A number of co-defendants of Trump, 77, in that sprawling racketeering case, are engaged on an attraction to additionally knock her off the case, primarily based on the “improper” affair.
A spokesperson for the Fulton County DA’s workplace didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
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