Fulton County, Ga. District Attorney Fani Willis, who developed her allegations of an organized crime network involving the newly elected President Donald Trump and other defendants with assistance from a romantic partner she employed on a taxpayer-funded salary, is now encountering further difficulties. Her case, which is hanging by a thread a pending decision in a state appeals court, is effectively the only legal action against Trump following his recent election and the dismissal of multiple other law enforcement cases.
Now, Judicial Watch has confirmed that Willis has been declared in default by a court for failing to comply with the Georgia Open Records Act. Judicial Watch had pursued, through the state’s legal channels for records requests, to obtain information about Willis’ collaboration with special counsel Jack Smith, who the Biden Department of Justice appointed to oversee that portion of the Democratic Party’s legal efforts against Trump, cases that have since been dismissed.
Also, records were sought about Willis’ coordination with ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s partisan January 6 investigating committee, which concealed exculpatory information about President Trump’s involvement that day, and tried to portray the events as an actual insurrection against the U.S., when in fact it was a protest that turned into a minor riot with most of the aftermath involve repairs of vandalism. Judge Robert C.K. McBurney in Fulton County Superior Court said Willis had a number of options in responding to the records case, but did “none of that.”
McBurney wrote: “Plaintiff is thus entitled to judgment by default as if every item and paragraph of the complaint were supported by proper and sufficient evidence. O.C.G.A. § 9-11-55(a). Here, this means Plaintiff has established that Defendant violated the ORA by failing to either turn over responsive records or else notify Plaintiff of her decision to withhold some or all such records. In its complaint, Plaintiff sought the following relief: 1) a declaration that Defendant has violated the ORA; 2) an order for Defendant to search for all records responsive to Plaintiff’s request without further delay; 3) an injunction ordering Defendant to cease withholding non-exempt public records responsive to the request; 4) an award of attorney’s fees and costs pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 50-18-73(b); 5) a writ of mandamus, ordering Defendant to provide the requested records; and 6) any other relief the Court deems proper.”
The judge added, “By finding Defendant in default, the Court has in effect declared that she has violated the ORA. The Court also hereby ORDERS Defendant to conduct a diligent search of her records for responsive materials within five business days of the entry of this Order. Within that same five day period, Defendant is ORDERED to provide Plaintiff with copies of all responsive records that are not legally exempted or excepted from disclosure. If Defendant is required or decides to withhold all or part of a requested record, she should follow the procedures set forth in the ORA (see O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(d)).”
The New York Post reported last week that Willis’ case against Trump isn’t likely to last much longer. “A lot has changed from one year ago when Willis, 53 — the first woman elected as Fulton County DA in 2021 — was riding high as the prosecutor set to take down Trump in a blockbuster high-profile RICO racketeering case,” the outlet reported. While Willis seems determined to continue with the case, there is a possibility that she could be removed by an investigating body or overridden by the state Supreme Court, which may intervene to shut it down, according to sources.
“Fani doesn’t see how she’s headed for a brick wall, she’s going full tilt with vengeance and emotions,” one local defense lawyer who knows her told The Post. “She’s still so full of herself and hasn’t learned her lesson yet. She doesn’t realize she is her own demise and she’s the reason everything’s falling apart.”
Willis, who secured re-election for a second term as District Attorney in November, has maintained her defiance by ignoring a September subpoena from a special Senate committee investigating the case. She refused to appear for a scheduled hearing to testify. Last week, a Georgia appeals court unexpectedly canceled the oral arguments that were set for next month in the case. Trump’s legal team is likely to reference the federal dismissal of the election interference charges against him in an effort to have the Georgia case dismissed. “I would be shocked if it wasn’t (dismissed) but Fani has an ego bigger than the entire state so who knows,” a source close to the Willis investigations told The Post.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.