Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has asked the Democratic district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, Fani Willis, for records related to prosecuting former President Trump’s alleged election meddling.
The letter, sent hours before Trump is scheduled to surrender at the Fulton County Jail, expresses concern over Willis’ motivation in bringing the case and suggests that the threat posed by such state prosecutions to the operations of the federal government is highlighted by her massive racketeering indictment against the former president and 18 others.
The letter continued by inquiring if Willis had ever been in touch with the office of special counsel Jack Smith, who filed criminal charges against Trump earlier this month for his attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 election.
As with other letters the committee wrote concerning criminal proceedings involving Trump, this one repeats the ex-president’s repeated claims that the allegations against him are driven more by politics than by any actual misconduct.
Jordan argued that the timing of this prosecution raises questions about her purpose.
He said she waited over two and a half years to file charges when the Republican primary for president was heating up. The trial date she requested is March 4, 2024, one day before Super Tuesday and eight days before Georgia’s presidential primary.
Before charges were brought against Trump, Jordan wrote to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg (D) to warn him against what he said would be an unprecedented misuse of prosecutorial power.
In addition, he has written twice to Attorney General Merrick Garland about Smith’s probe.
Jordan argues that the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause is threatened when states criminally pursue federal agents for actions that seem to have been performed in the course of their official responsibilities.
Federal officials may be less likely to carry out their tasks because of the potential for future state punishment for official activities.
He adds that presidents can feel threatened by such charges while in office.
According to Jordan, presidents’ concerns about possible politically motivated charges after leaving office may influence the policies they adopt while in office.
The indictment threatens another vital government interest because this former President is running for president again.
For her part, Willis has disputed that she and Smith ever spoke.
