Washington — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued a sharply worded response to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio on Thursday, accusing him of trying to obstruct the prosecution of the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump.
Jordan, a Trump ally, said last month the committee was launching an investigation into whether the prosecutor coordinated with federal officials when indicting Trump and 18 other defendants for alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.
In response, Willis told Jordan that his request for information on the case, including details about any communications between her office and the Biden administration, was an "unjustified and illegal intrusion into an open state criminal prosecution." She argued that Congress lacks the jurisdiction to request information about the state's criminal case into Trump and his co-defendants.
"Your attempt to invoke congressional authority to intrude upon and interfere with an active criminal case in Georgia is flagrantly at odds with the Constitution," she wrote in the letter obtained by CBS News. "The defendants in this case have been charged under state law with committing state crimes. There is absolutely no support for Congress purporting to second guess or somehow supervise an ongoing Georgia criminal investigation and prosecution."
Willis said the goal of Jordan's inquiry was "to advance outrageous partisan misrepresentations," adding that she would not be "bullied and threatened" by members of Congress or others. She said his allegations that the case Trump was politically motivated "are unfounded."
"Chairman Jordan, I tell people often 'deal with reality or reality will deal with you.' It is time that you deal with some basic realities," she said, listing off a number of those "realities."
"Those who wish to avoid felony charges in Fulton County, Georgia — including violations of Georgia RICO law — should not commit felonies in Fulton County, Georgia," she said.
Jordan also sought information on the Fulton County District Attorney's Office's use of federal funds. Willis said her office has used federal grant funding for "its intended purposes" and warned any attempts to defund her office would be "vengeful, uncalled for legislative action" that would "impose serious harm" on Fulton County citizens.
Willis also shared several racist and violent threats that have been made against her and her staff as a result of the investigation.
"YOU TOUCH ANYONE ATTACHED TO TRUMP & WE WILL BURN YOUR CITY TO THE GROUND WITH YOU IN IT," read one of the less explicit messages reviewed by CBS News.
Willis encouraged the panel to consider directing the Justice Department to investigate the threats.
Nikole Killion is a congressional correspondent for CBS News based in Washington D.C.
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