Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ failed prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump will cost her — both politically, and financially.
A Georgia judge ordered Willis to pay $21,578 in attorney fees and costs to conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch over violations of open records laws, adding to a series of legal setbacks following her removal from prosecuting Trump.
Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled on January 3 that Willis’s office illegally violated Georgia’s Open Records Act by denying the existence of documents showing communication with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the January 6 Committee, then later claiming the same documents were exempt from disclosure.
“Even if the records prove to be just that—exempt from disclosure for sound public policy reasons—this late revelation is a patent violation of the ORA. And for none of this is there any justification, substantial or otherwise: no one searched until prodded by civil litigation,” McBurney wrote in his ruling.
The ruling follows Willis’s removal from the Trump prosecution by an appeals court last week. In a 2-1 decision, the court cited an “appearance of impropriety” stemming from Willis’s sexual relationship with the special prosecutor she hired using taxpayer dollars to help on the case, Nathan Wade.
“This is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence,” the appeals court wrote.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton responded to the ruling celebrating the legal victory over Willis.
“Fani Willis flouted the law, and the court is right to slam her and require, at a minimum, the payment of nearly $22,000 to Judicial Watch,” Fitton said in a statement. “But in the end, Judicial Watch wants the full truth on what she was hiding – her office’s political collusion with the Pelosi January 6 committee to ‘get Trump.'”
This isn’t the end to Willis’ legal problems, of course. She also faces an investigation by the Georgia Senate.
Judge Shukura Ingram ordered Willis to respond by January 13 to state Senate subpoenas investigating her conduct, including Wade’s paid salary of $650,000 annually as special prosecutor.
“Judge Ingram rejected every argument made by Willis in her attempt to dodge providing testimony to the committee under oath,” said Republican State Sen. Greg Dolezal. “I look forward to D.A. Willis honoring the subpoena and providing documents and testimony.”
Willis’s attorney, former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, announced plans to appeal both the records case ruling and Senate subpoenas.
“We believe the ruling is wrong and will appeal,” Barnes said. He also claimed the Georgia Senate committee lacks authority and its demands are “overbroad.”
The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia will now assign a new prosecutor to determine the future of Trump’s case, which alleged 161 criminal acts across seven states related to attempts to challenge the 2020 election results.