By Corinne Murdock |
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) filed a bill to defund the district attorney that indicted former President Donald Trump.
Biggs introduced the bill, HR5267, on Friday; it would prevent any federal funds from going to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. As of press time, the text of the bill — dubbed the “Withholding Investments from Lawless Litigators in States Act,” or “WILLIS Act,” named after the district attorney — wasn’t available on the Congress bill site.
In a statement, Biggs called the indictments “some of the weakest and most ridiculous” he’d ever seen. He accused the federal government of wasting taxpayer dollars for a witch hunt amid a historically poor economy.”
“President Trump and the 18 others mentioned were indicted for mundane activities like sending a text message, making a phone call, reserving a conference room, and tweeting,” said Biggs. “This is a blatant attack on American freedoms. Our national debt is at an all-time high. We cannot afford to have our federal government funding corrupt DA Offices’ quests for national fame through political witch hunts.”
Several weeks ago, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office brought a 41-count, 98-page indictment against 19 defendants: Trump (13 charges); Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff; Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump; John Eastman, a lawyer for Trump; Jeffrey Clark, DOJ official; Sidney Powell, a lawyer for Trump; Jenna Ellis, a lawyer for Trump; Ray Smith, a lawyer for Trump; Michael Roman, a Trump campaign staffer; Kenneth Chesebro, a Trump ally; Robert Cheeley, a Trump ally; Trevian Kutti, a Trump ally; Harrison Floyd, a Trump ally; Stephen Lee, a Trump ally; David Shafer, a Trump elector; Shawn Still, a Trump elector; Cathy Latham, a Trump elector; Misty Hampton, the Coffee County elections supervisor; and Scott Hall, a poll watcher.
In a press conference announcing the indictment last week, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis gave the defendants an ultimatum: either voluntarily surrender themselves no later than noon last Friday, or be arrested. Part of the indictment claimed that certain public and private speech by the defendants amounted to “furtherance” of a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election.
Willis then limited the number of questions the press could ask so that she could “go to sleep.”
“The indictment alleges that, rather than abide by Georgia’s legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia’s presidential election result,” said Willis.
Biggs’ bill came a day after the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), sent a letter to Willis demanding her office’s information and communications with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Executive Branch, as well as the federal funding her office receives. The letter questioned whether Willis had ulterior motives for the indictment.
“Your indictment and prosecution implicate substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding your actions raise serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated,” stated the letter.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
