ATLANTA — Following a lengthy legal battle, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will testify before state lawmakers during a hearing at the State Capitol Wednesday, where she is expected to face tough questions about her conduct and decision-making in the now-dismissed election interference case against President Donald Trump.
The special investigative committee says it plans to focus on the prosecution of the 2020 election interference case and whether any state laws need to be changed next session. Republican State Senator Greg Dolezal says lawmakers want answers and do not want to see a similar situation happen again in Georgia.
“We want to ensure this never happens again in the state of Georgia,” Dolezal said. “Look, this is about fairness in the legal system. This is not about partisan politics.”
Dolezal also said lawmakers are looking forward to learning more about what happened in the case. “We look forward to getting to the bottom of what exactly happened in her case against the fellow Georgians and the president,” he said.
During her testimony Wednesday, Willis will be accompanied by her attorney, former Governor Roy Barnes, who says he will represent her throughout the proceedings.
“I’ll represent her, to the fullest of my ability,” Barnes said, adding that Willis is appearing to honor the legislative subpoena.
Willis has described Wednesday’s hearing as “political theater.” She was removed from the election interference case because of an improper romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who assisted with the prosecution. The case was later dropped by Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council Director Peter Skandalakis after Willis was disqualified.
The testimony comes less than a month after the sweeping election interference case was dismissed at the request of the prosecutor who took over following Willis’s removal. Lawmakers have been pursuing Willis’s testimony for more than a year.
Barnes says he has little patience for questions about Willis’s personal relationship with Wade.
“If they disqualify every member of the General Assembly who has a romantic relationship with a secretary or a lobbyist, you’re not going to be able to have a quorum next session,” Barnes said.
State lawmakers are expected to question Willis extensively as they consider whether changes to state law are needed moving forward.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.