The Fulton County District Attorney's Office this week refused to turn over new communications between District Attorney Fani Willis and outgoing Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, saying in a new court filing that the documents either don't exist or don't exist. It claimed to be exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.
This update comes after the conservative attorney who sued Willis in March came after her office denied any records of communications between Willis and Smith or between Willis and the House Jan. 6 Committee. It was shared on Tuesday by legal organization Judicial Watch.
House Judiciary investigates whether Fulton County's Da Fani Willis 'coordinated' with Jan. 6 committee
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis watches a hearing in a Georgia election interference case in March 2024. (Alex Slitz/USA Today)
Both Smith and the House Select Committee are investigating allegations by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies that they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and their investigations are being investigated by Judicial Watch and other conservative It was directly in the crosshairs of activists.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney last Monday ordered Willis to provide records of his communications with Smith or the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 within five business days, stating that Willis was in fact the state's He sided with judicial oversight in determining that the open records law had been violated. By not responding to the lawsuit.
Willis claims she did not receive adequate service from the group.
The Fulton County Public Records Office doesn't seem to agree. In a new court filing this week, officials said they conducted an “intense search” but found no records of any documents or communications between Mr. Willis and Mr. Smith. Smith is a special prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to oversee two investigations. Former President Donald Trump's questionable actions.
Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies during the Department of Justice's House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at the Washington State Capitol. (AP/Jacqueline Martin)
Additionally, Office of Public Records staff said any records or documents between Mr. Willis and the House Select Committee on January 6 remain “legally exempt” from judicial oversight under the Georgia Open Records Act. or claimed to be “exempt from disclosure.” Release of documents or records arising from an investigation, subsequent prosecution, or prosecution in an ongoing case; against trump and his allies.
The filing comes as Willis' actions have come under intense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers and conservative nonprofit groups.
Members of the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee said Willis asked a House select committee on Jan. 6 to share information with his office, prompting further scrutiny of those communications. said.
Trump held in Fulton County Jail on charges stemming from 2020 election investigation
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, slams the gavel to begin a hearing at the Capitol. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Trump and 18 others have pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from a mass racketeering indictment brought by the prosecutor's office in Fulton County last year, alleging they tried to overturn the results of the presidential election.
The charges against Mr. Trump in Georgia had been put on hold after his lawyers filed an appeal seeking to have Mr. Willis removed from the case, citing an alleged conflict of interest.
Importantly, the charges in the state have not yet been formally dismissed, despite Trump's status as president-elect.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The status of the case comes in the wake of President Trump's victory in the 2024 election and a long-standing Department of Justice policy that prevents U.S. prosecutors from bringing federal criminal charges against sitting presidents. This follows the termination of proceedings in federal court.
Fox News Digital's Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
