It has been described as:
• Fani Willis Schools Jim Jordan… With Brutal Correction For His ‘Total Ignorance’
•Willis blasts congressman’s ‘interference’ in Fulton Trump probe
• Fani Willis Slams Rep Jim Jordan For ‘Interfering’ In Trump Criminal Case.
• Fani Willis thrashes Jim Jordan: ‘You lack a basic understanding of the law.’
• Fani Willis drops the hammer on Gym Jordan
All these headlines refer to Georgia District Attorney Fani T. Willis’ superb, nine-page response to House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) following Jordan’s latest attempt to investigate, obstruct and interfere with several ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions against his buddy, Donald Trump.
This time, Jordan is demanding that Willis turn over all records related to her work and is asking for information related to Jack Smith’s case and other communications.
Since this is a family blog, rather than saying that Willis told Jordan to butt out of her business, we’ll just politely say that Willis did not mince words.
The reader can enjoy the entire nine-page response here. We will just quote a few “beauts.”
On Jordan’s apparent lack of understanding of the law, Constitution, and separation of powers:
Your letter offends principles of state sovereignty. The demands in your letter—and your efforts at intruding upon the State of Georgia’s criminal authority—violate constitutional principles of federalism…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…That violation of Georgia’s sovereignty is offensive and will not stand.
She continues:
While settled constitutional law clearly permits me to ignore your unjustified and illegal intrusion into an open state criminal prosecution, I will take a moment to voluntarily respond to parts of your letter… Face this reality, Chairman Jordan: the select group of defendants who you fret over in my jurisdiction are like every other defendant, entitled to no worse or better treatment than any other American citizen…. Persons’ socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, or political prominence does not entitle them to an exemption from that basic standard. Defendant Trump’s status as a political candidate cannot make him legally immune from criminal prosecution. The basic premise of your letter is wrong. The criminal defendant about which you express concern was fully aware of the existence of the criminal investigation being conducted by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office at the time he announced his candidacy for President.
And then, this “beaut”:
Your letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice, and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically…Your questioning of the overt and predicate acts listed in the indictment is misinformed. Your questioning of the inclusion of overt and predicate acts by the defendants in the indictment’s racketeering count shows a total ignorance of Georgia’s racketeering statute and the basics of criminal conspiracy law. Allow me the Opportunity to provide a brief tutorial on criminal conspiracy law, Chairman Jordan.
Which she does as follows:
As I explained to the public when announcing the indictment, the overt and predicate acts are included because the grand jury found probable cause that those acts were committed to advance the objectives of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the result of Georgia’s 2020 Presidential Election. For a more thorough understanding of Georgia’s RICO statute, its application and similar laws in other states, I encourage you to read “RICO State-by-State.” As a non-member of the bar, you can purchase a copy for two hundred forty-nine dollars [$249].
On Jordan’s threats to deny Willis’ office federal funds, Willis describes some of the programs federally funded, such as “our nationally recognized initiative to process long- neglected sexual assault kits and prosecute dangerous sexual offenders who are identified via DNA results.”:
If you and your colleagues follow through on your threats to deny this office federal funds, please be aware that you will be deciding to allow serial rapists to go unprosecuted, hate crimes to be unaddressed, and to cancel programs for at-risk children. Such vengeful, uncalled for legislative action would impose serious harm on the citizens we serve, including the fact that it will make them less safe…Those are the sort of joint federal-state initiatives that you and your colleagues are threatening to “defund” because you are offended that a select group of people have been indicted.
On Jordan’s allegations that Willis has used the Georgia prosecution for political benefit:
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the allegations that you raise are thoroughly debunked and rated “False” by independent fact checking website PolitiFact in “PolitiFact” Did Fulton County DA Fani Willis campaign to ‘get Trump”? No, she didn’t say that.”
Willis concludes with some “Suggestions for Productive Activity by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee,” such as:
…Congress should provide more funding to states and localities for victim-witness advocate pay and ensure that such funding flows to the jurisdictions that need it most… Federal grant funding should be increased to allow the testing of ALL untested rape kits, as well as the capacity for the successful investigation and prosecution of offenders identified by that testing…Congress should greatly expand [a program to turn children around who find themselves in trouble with the criminal justice system.
Well done, Ms. Willis
