Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has lashed out at Republican Representative Jim Jordan, calling him a "clown" and accusing him of interfering in the ongoing Trump election interference case. Willis also condemned attempts by Republicans in Georgia to create an oversight committee to monitor prosecutors.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has launched a scathing attack on Republican Representative Jim Jordan and the GOP's persistent criticism of her investigation into former President Trump. In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday, Willis characterized Jordan as a "clown" and accused him of having "no legitimate purpose" in attacking her office.
"Jim Jordan has, time after time after time, attacked my office with no legitimate purpose," Willis told Maddow. "Anyone who knows Jim Jordan's history knows that he only has the purpose of trying to interfere in a criminal investigation."
Willis highlighted Jordan's failure to address high crime rates and poverty in his own jurisdiction, accusing him of using his position to attack those who are "legitimately doing their jobs."
"He is making himself illegitimate in his position, and it's disgusting," she added.
Willis's remarks come amid Republican efforts to establish an oversight committee in Georgia to monitor prosecutors. She denounced this move as an attempt to suppress the prosecution of political rivals and interfere in the Trump investigation.
"They have decided in Georgia that they would like to come after me. They use false reasons for wanting to come after me," Willis said. "Georgia had never had a prosecutorial Oversight Committee, and all of a sudden, 14 minorities were elected to office to serve as district attorney, and now, all of a sudden, they need an Oversight Committee to look after district attorneys because they want to tell us how to prosecute and who to prosecute and where we should put our resources."
Willis questioned the motivations behind the oversight committee, suggesting that it was a thinly veiled attempt to control prosecutors who are investigating Republicans.
"Apparently, we now need daddy to tell us how to do our job," she continued.
Maddow, who only hosts her primetime show once a week, used much of her commentary time to rail against GOP criticism and investigations of Willis as she prosecutes Trump. The former president was indicted by Willis for allegedly attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
"They have created a maelstrom of political harassment and pressure, bringing it down to bear on this one prosecutor like a laser," Maddow said. "Because she brought this case against someone of their party, who has political power. This is Republicans using their political power to try to shut off the legal system, to try to shut off the rule of law here so it cannot be used against their guy, against Trump."
In a lead-up to the interview, Maddow drew a parallel between criticisms of Willis and efforts to thwart her prosecution with congressional efforts to suppress the prosecution of George Sylvester Viereck. He eventually went to prison for being a Nazi agent spreading propaganda in the U.S. and had worked with some members of Congress before being exposed.
Maddow made only passing mention to Willis's past romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade that jeopardized the Trump trial earlier this year and nearly resulted in her being taken off the high-profile case. Maddow never asked Willis about her thought process around hiring Wade; the two have claimed their relationship began after he was hired to work on the case. Wade resigned from the prosecution team in March.
"I regret that that private matter became the focal point of this very important prosecution," Wade told ABC's "Good Morning America" earlier this month. "This is a very important case."
Willis, who is up for re-election, said she's dealt with threats throughout her tenure and had to pay for a second home.
"It's a very interesting way to live. But it's well worth it to have the honor of being the first female district attorney in Fulton County," she said. "It pales in comparison to what my victims are going through. And the reality is, one of the reasons we are upsetting people is we're so successful here in Fulton County. I have the third-largest crime drop in America."
Willis said she'd also grown closer to God.
"I can't explain to you how much I love the work that I do," she said. "I can't explain to you how loved I feel by my community. You really should feel sorry for those that are trying to deter me from my work. It doesn't do anything but motivate me to continue to work and to work hard."
