Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis finds herself at the center of another scandal in what is shaping up to be a dramatic escalation. Willis is now the subject of a new congressional probe into her office’s alleged misuse of federal funds. The inquiry marks the second such investigation.
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) penned a strongly-worded letter to Willis on Wednesday demanding answers regarding whistleblower allegations that Willis’ office improperly spent federal grant funds on non-essential items like computers and promotional “swag.” Such expenditures seem to stray far from the intended purposes of these grants, which include combating juvenile delinquency and gang activity.
These developments follow a February inquiry initiated by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). This makes the new investigation the second front in what could become a comprehensive federal probe into Willis’ financial management practices.
According to the senators’ letter first obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded nearly $500,000 to Fulton County in 2020. The funding was intended for the establishment of the Fulton County Center of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention. However, reports suggest that the center has yet to begin operations, and the building intended for its use remains locked and unused.
The allegations of misused funds were brought to light by Amanda Timpson, former Director of Gang Prevention and Intervention at the Fulton County DA’s office. Timpson reportedly warned Willis about the diversion of funds to inappropriate expenses but was dismissed from her position shortly after raising concerns. The dismissal has only added fuel to the fire of speculation around Willis’ handling of office finances.
In their letter, Senators Grassley and Johnson detailed a troubling lack of clarity in Fulton County’s financial reporting to federal authorities. They pointed out discrepancies in the reported use of $88,900 allocated to the Offender Alumni Association, a discrepancy that the Justice Department is currently investigating.
“Amanda Timpson, the former Director of Gang Prevention and Intervention for the Fulton County DA Office, reportedly notified you that an official in your office planned to use the OJJDP gang prevention funding ‘on computers and other ineligible expenses” such as MacBooks, ‘swag,’ and travel instead of helping at-risk youth in the community. Ms. Timpson brought these concerns to your attention on November 19, 2021. Two months later you terminated her employment,” the letter wrote.
The senators have requested a comprehensive breakdown of all federal grants received by the Fulton County DA’s office since 2019, including detailed accounts of how these funds were spent. They are particularly concerned about substantial sums allocated for travel and conference expenses, which seem to constitute a large portion of the spending from grants intended for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
The initiative, which received $2 million in funding in 2020, was designed to help address the backlog of un-submitted sexual assault kits. However, recent data suggests that a large chunk of this funding was used for travel, rather than for forensic testing and other critical services that directly benefit victims of sexual assault.
The senators have given Willis until May 29 to respond to their inquiries.
Earlier today, the Georgia Court of Appeals gave the green light to former President Trump’s appeal to disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney and her office from the case in the ongoing saga of the election interference case.