The Fulton County Commissioners clarified that elected officials receiving county funds are considered employees of the county, allowing for ethics complaints against District Attorney Fani Willis to be heard by the local ethics board.
With a 4-2 vote and one abstention on April 17, the commissioners paved the way for the Fulton County Ethics Board to address complaints against Ms. Willis, whose office is partially funded by taxpayer dollars.
Prior to this clarification, the ethics board had dismissed two complaints against Ms. Willis, citing her status as a state officer and claiming the county lacked jurisdiction over her.
However, a complaint filed by Holly Kesler, Georgia state director for Citizens Defending Freedom, remains pending before the ethics board.
Ms. Willis gained attention for charging former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants with racketeering and criminal conspiracy charges related to the 2020 presidential election. Several defendants have pleaded guilty.
An allegation was made that Ms. Willis had an inappropriate relationship with attorney Nathan Wade, whom she hired as a special prosecutor in the racketeering case.
Despite denials of any wrongdoing by Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade, a Superior Court Judge ruled that both prosecutors could not continue on the case after a hearing on the allegations.
Commissioner Bob Ellis highlighted the need to amend the county’s ethics law due to recent uncertainties surrounding ethics board decisions.
Ms. Kesler argued that the county has the authority to oversee how taxpayer money is spent, as indicated by the submission of ethics disclosure forms by the district attorney to the county ethics board.
She also pointed out that county ethics rules prohibit contracts with individuals or businesses in which an officer or employee has an interest, citing Mr. Wade’s earnings from 2021 to 2023.
Ms. Kesler submitted an ethics complaint against Ms. Willis based on contracts with Mr. Wade and is awaiting a hearing date from the ethics board.
The clarification made by County Attorney Soo Jo during the April 17 meeting will be applied prospectively.
Jonathan Hullihan from Citizens Defending Freedom emphasized that the commission’s jurisdiction over taxpayer money and fund oversight extends to individuals operating in Fulton County, regardless of their designation as state constitutional officers.
Ms. Kesler raised concerns about a conflict of interest in Ms. Willis hiring Mr. Wade, alleging violations of ethics and trust by failing to disclose a romantic relationship with him.
Ms. Willis’ office did not provide a comment before the publication deadline.
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