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Marjorie Taylor Greene files second ethics complaint against Georgia prosecutor who charged Trump
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is prosecuting Trump in Georgia, of trying to avoid transparency.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., at a news conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill.Roberto Schmidt / AFP
Feb. 8, 2024, 2:55 AM PST
By Katherine Doyle
WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Thursday called for an investigation into Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis over claims that Willis, the prosecutor pursuing charges against former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case, has flouted state transparency and ethics rules.
Greene, a conservative firebrand and staunch Trump supporter, said in a complaint filed with the Georgia State Ethics Commission that Willis had failed to file personal financial disclosure statements in the years after she opened the high-profile Trump investigation, violating Georgia campaign finance and ethics rules and leaving Georgians in the dark about possible undue influence.
“The Georgia Campaign Finance Act exists to ensure that public officials are transparent and open about their dealings, influences, and motivations. And that is exactly what Fani Willis has sought to avoid at every turn: transparency,” the complaint says. “Georgians have a right to know who exerts undue and unfair influence over their elected officials.”
Greene slammed the omissions, which occurred in 2021 and 2022, as “intentional, or [demonstrating] at least a wanton disregard for her duties and the law,” and said Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade had “illegally tainted” the prosecution. Willis also failed to file a financial disclosure statement after she ran for a judgeship in 2018, the complaint says. Her 2020 filing is publicly available.
“For that reason, Fani Willis’ alleged failures to disclose these suspicious relationships and transactions must be fully investigated and, if proven true, punished in order to vindicate these rights and restore Georgians’ confidence in the intentions of their leaders,” the filing says.
Greene has encountered her own campaign finance problems. In January, reports emerged that the Federal Election Commission fined her $12,000 in December for soliciting donations to a super PAC.
Greene’s complaint against Willis refers to earlier claims by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman that Willis may have personally benefited by hiring Wade amid accusations that the two have traveled together to destinations such as the Caribbean and Napa Valley, California. Willis moved in a motion Wednesday to quash a subpoena to testify at an evidentiary hearing next week about the allegations against her and Wade.
“The Georgia Campaign Finance Act mandates transparency from public officials,” Greene said in a statement to NBC News. “Willis’ refusal to disclose her relationships and financial transactions demonstrates a blatant disregard for the law and ethical standards. Georgians deserve leaders who prioritize transparency and accountability.”
She said the accusations against Willis are “a scandal of epic proportions.”
The complaint also alleges that Wade, whom Willis hired, earned a “significantly higher hourly rate” than another prosecutor on the team with considerable experience with the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the statute under which Trump and his associates were charged. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Greene said Wade billed the district attorney’s office “nearly $700,000 in official funds” and filed an invoice that included a billing on Nov. 5, 2021, “for 24 hours on a single day,” as well as another for two trips to Washington, D.C., details that surfaced in expense reports last month. Lawyers for Trump are seeking more information about Wade’s billing records, which list a “Interview with DC/White House” in November 2022.
Greene earlier called for a criminal probe of Willis amid allegations that she benefited improperly from a relationship with Wade, the special prosecutor.
Willis referred to Greene days later in remarks at a historic Black church in Atlanta.
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