A new Georgia State Senate special committee plans to investigate whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an improper affair with a special prosecutor she hired to lead the sweeping criminal racketeering case filed against Donald Trump and 18 of the former president’s allies.
The committee tasked with investigating the lead prosecutor for Georgia’s most populated county was established Friday mostly along a party line vote on Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal’s Senate Resolution 465.
The panel that will consist of six Republicans and three Democratic senators will have the ability to subpoena witnesses to testify as it examines whether Willis misappropriated taxpayers dollars after hiring special prosecutor Nathan Wade in November 2021 to lead the election interference probe.
Democratic lawmakers on Friday called the committee a political stunt aimed at undermining Willis, an elected Democrat, for targeting Trump and his supporters on allegations that they illegally orchestrated a plot to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.
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“You’re talking about partisan politics,” Macon Democratic Sen. David Lucas said during Friday’s Senate floor debate.
The new committee is the latest twist surrounding the historic case since an attorney for Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official and one of Trump’s Fulton co-defendants, accused Willis and Wade of having an improper romantic relationship.
Earlier this month, Wade’s estranged wife filed in Cobb County divorce court credit card statements showing two roundtrip flights to San Francisco and Miami had been purchased for Wade and Willis.
Dolezal, a Cumming legislator, described his resolution as a way of determining if the allegations against Willis are legitimate and whether she is impartial while leading a team of prosecutors.
Despite the committee’s subpoena power, it will not be able to sanction Willis.
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“This resolution will empower the Senate to address the multitude of questions raised by Georgians regarding the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office,” Dolezal said last week prior to the adoption of the resolution. “I am eager to see its adoption, which will emphasize the importance of transparency, accountability and integrity within our judicial system,” he added.
The special investigatory panel represents another battle line between Georgia Republicans and Democrats in an election year when there is expected to be another showdown between Trump and President Joe Biden. This year’s election season includes all 236 seats in the state Legislature up for grabs.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Butts County Republican and longtime supporter of Trump, has a contentious relationship with Willis. She sought to indict Jones for serving on a false alternate slate of electors who cast votes for Trump in the 2020 election. However she was barred from charging Jones after a judge found she had a conflict of interest because she raised money for his opponent during the 2022 campaign for lieutenant governor.
Sen. Shawn Still was among the 19 people indicted in August in the election interference case for having served on the alternate electoral college slate.
Norm Eisen, former ethics czar under the Obama Administration, said that based on what is publicly known there is no legal basis under Georgia law for Willis or Wade to be disqualified.
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Eisen noted the significance of holding Trump and his co-defendants accountable for their actions surrounding the 2020 election.
“However the right thing to do is for Mr. Wade to voluntarily bring his time on this case to an end – an act of wisdom on top of the strong record of court successes he’s helped create,” Eisen said last week. “He has taken this case far and has built a foundation for conviction that others can now take forward. Mr. Wade has done an outstanding job building the case, under the direction and active guidance of DA Willis.”
Republican legislators have also targeted Willis with the creation of a statewide prosecutors oversight commission that can investigate complaints filed against Willis regarding her decision to pursue racketeering charges against Trump.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing to discuss the allegations that a romantic relationship constitutes prosecutorial misconduct that should prevent Willis from overseeing the election case in the future.
During a church service in Atlanta on Jan. 14, Willis strongly defended Wade’s professional reputation.
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A former prosecutor, Wade has served as a Cobb County municipal judge for a decade and is a partner with an Atlanta firm that specializes in cases involving personal injury claims, family and domestic law, contract litigation and criminal defense.
Fulton County taxpayers have been billed more than $650,000 by Wade’s firm since November 2021.
JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — Joseph Pinion scored 14 points as Arkansas State beat Georgia State 85-59 on Saturday.
Pinion shot 5 for 10, including 4 for 9 from beyond the arc for the Red Wolves (14-5, 5-2 Sun Belt Conference). Taryn Todd scored 12 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Izaiyah Nelson had eight points and finished 4 of 8 from the floor.
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The Panthers (7-12, 3-4) were led in scoring by Nicholas McMullen, who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Cesare Edwards added 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks for Georgia State. Jelani Hamilton also recorded 13 points and two steals.
Both teams play again on Thursday. Arkansas State hosts Appalachian State and Georgia State hosts Marshall.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Breaking down what caused the first severe bird flu case in U.S.
01:20
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Bird flu was detected in a commercial poultry flock in Georgia for the first time since the current outbreak started in 2022, officials announced on Friday.
The positive case of the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was found in Elbert County. It was confirmed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
This marks the fifth detection of the virus in a flock in the state, but the first one in a commercial poultry operation. Last week, GDA officials announced that the virus was found in a flock of 13 chickens and ducks in Clayton County.
“This is a serious threat to Georgia’s number one industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make their living in our state’s poultry industry,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “We are working around the clock to mitigate any further spread of the disease and ensure that normal poultry activities in Georgia can resume as quickly as possible.”
As a result of the detection, all in-state poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets and sales have been suspended until further notice.
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Earlier this year, a Louisiana resident died after being hospitalized with bird flu, marking the first U.S. death from the H5N1 virus.
Since 2003, the World Health Organization has counted more than 400 deaths from the virus.
Camille Knox
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Camille C. Knox is a senior editor at CBSNnews.com. She is a graduate of Michigan State University. Prior to joining CBS News, she served as a reporter and editor for publications that include Snopes, the Tampa Bay Times, The Clarion-Ledger and AOL’s Patch.
On Friday, Georgia’s top public defender encouraged government officials and the community to continue supporting programs that transform lives during the state’s 40th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.
Federal and Georgia governments will be closed on Monday in observance of the King’s birthday holiday, celebrated every third Monday in January. In 1968, King was slain at the age of 39 after becoming the leading face of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement fighting systemic racism Black people faced across the deep South and other parts of America. Omotayo Alli executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council was the keynote speaker as more than 150 people attended the celebration held at the state Capitol.
During the ceremony, the Georgia Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council recognized this year’s winners of awards named after five former longtime Georgia residents who worked closely with King during the Civil Rights Era. King family members were presented a proclamation from the state honoring the civil rights icon’s holiday.
The event is organized by the Georgia Black Legislative Caucus and the state Department of Community Affairs.
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Republican Gov. Brian Kemp emphasized King’s commitment to non-violence while confronting the injustices of racial prejudice and segregation.
He called for continued efforts to promote unity and opportunity for all Georgians, urging personal actions aligned with King’s principles.
“From his early life, growing up in Atlanta throughout his travels across the country fighting injustice, was never content to look the other way when he came to confronting the problems of his days,” Kemp said.
The keynote address was delivered by Omotayo Alli, the first Black woman to serve as executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council, overseeing several dozen offices across Georgia.
Alli discussed her four decade journey as a public defender, emphasizing her efforts to improve juvenile justice by creating educational opportunities for children in the system.
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Alli spoke about establishing a public defender program that provides opportunities for people who have gone through the criminal justice system to help them reintegrate into the community.
She describes her transition to working with juvenile cases, which led to her realize the high number of children in the justice system.
Alli said she took a personal interest in bettering the lives of young people in the justice system, by providing educational opportunities and other resources that are critical in their rehabilitation. Young people obtaining their GED and learning job skills at a technical school opens opportunities to end a cycle of poverty, she said.
A number of events celebrating the legacy of King will continue on Monday across Georgia. The annual holiday event at the Atlanta church where King preached will be led by a different religious leader than in recent years. Ebenezer Baptist Church church pastor and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will not attend Monday’s celebration of King since the Atlanta Democrat will be in Washington D.C.for the inauguration of Republican President Donald Trump.
The Ebenezer church’s keynote sermon will be delivered by North Carolina’s Bishop William J. Barber II, who serves as president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach. Barber will reflect upon a critical moment for people of faith and to the injustices plaguing the nation, according to a news release.
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