Last week, a Georgia court ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to pay the organization nearly $22,000 for ignoring its open records requests and concealing its communications.
In August 2023, Judicial Watch reported that Willis' office is investigating Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith's office and the protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He filed an Open Records Act request for communications he had with a House committee.
“The District Attorney's Office flatly ignored Plaintiff's original ORA request, conducted no search, and simply (and falsely) notified the County Public Records Administrator that no corresponding records existed.”
The public prosecutor's office claimed that “there were no corresponding records.''
“This reaction was perplexing and ultimately led to suspicion.” [Judicial Watch]”Given that the plaintiffs subsequently discovered through their own efforts at least one document that would have been in the possession of the District Attorney's Office and that clearly complied with the request,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said. . I wrote.
In March 2024, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit accusing Willis of “falsely denying” communications related to open records requests.
The judge found that Willis' office repeatedly denied the existence of such records. However, in a subsequent memo, her office stated that “no record yet exists in response to Plaintiff's series of requests (communications with former Special Counsel Jack Smith), but “In fact, the records did exist in response to communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith.” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee Jan. 6) — but they were exempted from disclosure. ”
McBurney said the open records request “is not mandatory, it's mandatory.”
“Violations have consequences,” he wrote.
“By her records custodian’s own admission, the district attorney’s office flatly ignored plaintiff’s original ORA request, did not investigate, and simply told the county’s public records custodian that no corresponding records existed (and erroneously),” McBurney continued. “We now know that is simply false. After being forced to do so by court order, the defendants managed to identify records that were actionable, but classified them as exempt.”
McBurney said the “late disclosure” of the allegedly exempt communications was a “patent violation” of Judicial Watch's open records requests.
The judge ordered Willis to pay the organization's legal costs of $21,578 within two weeks.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, reacted to Mr McBurney's decision.
“Fani Willis disregarded the law, and it is only right that the court censure her and require her to pay at least nearly $22,000 to a judicial watchdog,” Fitton said. said. “But ultimately, Judicial Watch revealed what she was hiding: the full truth about her office's political collusion with Pelosi's Jan. 6 committee to 'get Trump.' I want it.”
The prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment from police. new york post.
Willis and her office have faced several allegations of wrongdoing over the past year.
In December, Willis was disqualified from the Georgia case against President-elect Donald Trump over his affair with special counsel Nathan Wade.
Mr. Willis also faced an investigation into his office's alleged misuse of $488,000 worth of federal grants. According to staff whistleblowerfunds earmarked for the establishment of a youth gang prevention center were spent on unqualified and unrelated expenses.
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