ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� The showdown between and a Republican-led Georgia state Senate committee over her conduct while had loomed for months, and when it finally arrived Wednesday, Fulton County鈥檚 Democratic district attorney was ready to fight.
鈥淵ou all want to intimidate people from doing the right thing, and you think that you鈥檙e going to intimidate me,” Willis told the committee. “You all have been trying to intimidate me for five years.鈥�
When Willis announced the indictment against in August 2023, she used the state鈥檚 to allege a conspiracy to try to illegally overturn Trump鈥檚 narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal spent much of the three-plus hours trying to get Willis to talk about details of the investigation and how her office works, but Willis frequently said she didn鈥檛 remember. At other times, she or her lawyer objected to the question and declined to answer, with Willis repeatedly calling the proceedings politically motivated 鈥渇oolishness.鈥� And more often than not, Willis used a question to launch a counterattack, proclaiming the purity of her motives and attacking those doing the investigating. A few times, senators shut off her microphone, only to have Willis keep talking.
鈥淚 think that she probably spent 80% of her time not answering the questions,” Dolezal told reporters afterward.
The Republican-dominated state Senate in January 2024 created the Special Committee on Investigations to of misconduct against Willis concerning her case seeking criminal convictions for efforts to overturn Trump鈥檚 2020 election loss in Georgia. The committee is supposed to be examining whether changes to state law are needed to bar future misconduct and doesn鈥檛 have the power to sanction or prosecute Willis. But even before Trump against his enemies, Democrats regarded the panel as a weapon for Republican to harass a Trump foe.
Thus far, the committee has turned up few new facts regarding Willis鈥� activities. Trump has a 鈥渃riminal鈥� who should be 鈥減rosecuted鈥� and 鈥減ut in jail.鈥�
Republican-led committee has focused on Willis鈥� hiring of special prosecutor
The committee has focused on Willis鈥� hiring of to lead the election interference case. The resolution creating the committee said a romantic relationship between the two amounted to a 鈥渃lear conflict of interest and a fraud upon the taxpayers.鈥� But the case is now defunct after Willis was removed and another prosecutor .
Willis told Dolezal she hired Wade 鈥渂ecause we were drowning鈥� in other cases. 鈥淓very lawyer I had with that level of experience had a huge project,鈥� Willis said.
鈥淚 made a decision, the people of Fulton County elected me to make that decision, and I did,鈥� Willis said.
As Dolezal questioned how much Wade was paid, Willis listed out payments for lawyers from the Georgia attorney general, including prominent Republican lawyer Josh Belinfante, who advises the committee and was present.
State senator suggests Willis was working with Biden administration
Dolezal displayed documents showing that Wade and others traveled to Washington, in an effort to suggest that Willis was working with the House January 6 committee or the Biden White House to prosecute Trump.
Willis said Wade probably traveled to Washington to 鈥済et information on some of the criminals I ended up indicting.鈥�
Willis said meetings with Biden White House officials were part of a procedure to request documents or testimony from the federal government. She defiantly proclaimed she had made the prosecution decisions herself.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e trying to imply some wrongdoing where none exists,鈥� said Roy Barnes, the former Democratic Georgia governor representing Willis.
After the meeting, Dolezal said Willis’ office communicated both in person and via telephone with the Biden administration before presenting charges against Trump.
鈥淲e know they had an eight-hour phone call with the White House on the very same day that Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith a special prosecutor,” he said. “We don鈥檛 know why. We don鈥檛 know what was discussed because suddenly people can鈥檛 remember anything.鈥�
Elections loom over the committee
Democrats have decried the panel as a partisan time-waster driven by political ambition. Four Republicans on the committee are running for statewide office in 2026. Chairman of Athens is running for attorney general, though he was unable to attend the hearing for medical reasons. Sens. of Cumming, of Vidalia and of Dahlonega are each seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Another Republican who had been on the committee, John Kennedy of Macon, last week to pursue his own bid for lieutenant governor.
Willis repeatedly asserted that the committee was attacking her for political gain: 鈥淭his is about folks sitting here trying to get elected.鈥�
But Willis herself sent out fundraising emails before and during the hearing. In a Wednesday morning email, Willis鈥� reelection campaign accused the committee of 鈥渢rying to dig up dirt, slow us down, and distract Fani Willis from her job.鈥� The email asked people to pack the hearing room or send her a campaign donation, and many prominent Democrats were in the audience Wednesday.
Former Democratic governor representing Willis says it’s a ‘witch hunt’
Barnes counseled Willis against answering some questions and also engaged in some heated exchanges with Dolezal, at one point saying, 鈥淭his is a witch hunt. This has always been a witch hunt.鈥�
Willis’ prosecution of Trump began to fall apart in January 2024, when a defense attorney in the case alleged that Willis was involved in an improper romantic relationship with Wade.
In , both Willis and Wade testified about the intimate details of their relationship. They both vehemently denied allegations that it constituted a conflict of interest.
The trial judge chided Willis for a 鈥渢remendous lapse in judgment,鈥� that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, hours later.
But after defense attorneys appealed, the Georgia Court of Appeals cited an 鈥渁ppearance of impropriety鈥� and . The state Supreme Court in September .
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