The Fulton County District Attorney's Office recently refused to provide any new communications between District Attorney Fani Willis and outgoing Trump Special Counsel Jack Smith. The office stated in a court filing that the documents either do not exist or are exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.
Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, sued Willis in March after her office claimed to have no records of communication between Willis and Smith or between Willis and the House January 6th Committee.
Both Smith and the House Select Committee were investigating alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results, drawing the attention of Judicial Watch and other conservative activists.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney recently ordered Willis to produce any records of communication with Smith or the House Select Committee within five business days, ruling that Willis had violated the state's open records act by not responding to the lawsuit.
The Fulton County Open Records Department reported that they conducted a thorough search but did not find any records of communication between Willis and Smith. They also stated that any documents related to Willis and the House Select Committee on January 6 are legally exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.
Willis's actions have faced criticism from Republican lawmakers and conservative groups. Members of the House Judiciary Committee claimed that Willis requested information from the House Select Committee on January 6, leading to further scrutiny of the communications.
Former President Donald Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in Fulton County last year to charges related to attempting to overturn the election results. The case against Trump in Georgia has been on hold pending an appeal to disqualify Willis from the case due to alleged conflicts of interest.
Despite Trump's status as president-elect, the charges against him in Georgia have not been dropped. Special Counsel Jack Smith has concluded federal court proceedings against Trump following his election victory in 2024 and Justice Department policy preventing federal charges against a sitting president.
