ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law Wednesday that will create a committee that could be used to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from office.
Nobody at the bill signing said that the commission would investigate Willis, but it has the power to do so.
“This legislation will help us ensure rouge or incompetent prosecutors are held accountable if they refuse to uphold the law,” Kemp said as he signed the bill into law.
March 13, 2024: Gov. Kemp Signs Legislation Providing Fix to the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission https://t.co/dMdeGZbe0n
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) March 13, 2024
Critics counter the bill could prevent prosecutors from doing their jobs.
“Prosecutors who defend our state constitution should be able to do so safely. How are prosecutors able to defend themselves from challenging corruption in our government without the proper protections?” said Aunna Dennis, the executive director of Common Cause Georgia.
House Speaker Jon Burns told Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray that there is no specific focus on Willis with this bill.
“Well, Fani Willis is not unlike any of the rest of us. She does her job as she sees fit and certainly sometimes there can be questions and none of us are above reproach when it comes to doing her job,” Burns said.
The prosecution of former President Donald Trump remains top of mind at the capitol along with this new commission.
Just last week, a Senate investigative committee held a hearing on Willis.
“This law sets a dangerous precedent and forges a new path to protect Donald Trump during an ongoing criminal investigation based on a grand jury indictment issued by Georgia citizens,” said Georgia House Minority Leader James Beverly.
Still, many GOP leaders were reluctant to speak Wednesday about Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to strike several charges in the election interference case.
“I defer to the wisdom of a fine jurist who has heard all of the facts, all of the evidence,” Burns said.
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But Lt. Gov. Burt Jones sent Gray a statement, saying:
“This is a clear weaponization of the judicial system against President Trump. I’m glad to see some of the charges dropped. They should all be dropped.”
Democratic state Sen. Elana Parent testified before the grand jury in the case. She was there when Rudy Giuliani presented false allegations of fraud to a Senate committee.
“We know that even if this specific count that was brought by the district attorney is now suspended, there are many other counts, allegations in this court case that relate to this same activity and those will go forward,” Parent said.
This was the second time Kemp has signed this commission into law. Last year the Georgia Supreme Court refused to approve rules about its conduct, so it came back to the General Assembly for the bill to be rewritten.
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