ATLANTA — A judge will decide if he will disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from being part of a special grand jury looking into potential criminal interference in the November 2020 presidential election.
The judge said Republican nominee for lieutenant governor Burt Jones had valid concerns after receiving a letter stating he was a target for possible criminal investigation.
Jones said Willis hosted a fundraiser for his opponent in the race, so he wants the judge to disqualify her.
Channel 2′s Richard Elliot was in the room in December 2020 during a meeting of the Republican slate of alternate electors, of which Jones was a part.
That meeting is now one of the subjects of the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating possible criminal interference in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Jones is now running as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor.
The district attorney’s office gave him, along with the other false electors, letters informing them they were now targets for potential criminal investigation.
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Jones said Willis is targeting him because he’s a candidate and points to a flier announcing a fundraiser Willis held for his Democratic opponent, Charlie Bailey.
He wants Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney to dismiss Willis and her office from the case.
“I don’t know that it’s an actual conflict, but I use that phrase. What were you thinking?” McBurney asked Jones’ attorney.
McBurney agreed that Jones’ concerns had some merit.
“How to manage what I think are some valid concerns that Sen. Jones has raised through council about kind of a minimum pretty clear appearance of conflict,” McBurney said.
The DA’s office pointed out that the fundraiser was held before Bailey was the Democratic nominee and that he was still embroiled in a tough runoff against Kwanza Hall.
The judge will rule on this later, but also ruled that all those false electors must testify before the grand jury, but can do so with some conditions.
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