Sens. Grassley and Johnson allege Willis' office used federal funds to buy 'swag' instead of helping at-risk youth
Georgia appeals court grants Trump's appeal on Fani Willis case
Fox News' Jonathan Serrie reports the latest on the case from Atlanta. The ‘Outnumbered’ panel also discussed their reaction to former President Trump's win in the 2020 Georgia election case.
Two Republican lawmakers are opening a second congressional investigation into embattled Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis for alleged misuse of federal grant funding.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., in a letter to Willis on Wednesday alleged funds granted to the Fulton County District Attorney's office by the Justice Department Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) meant to help at-risk youth and gang prevention, went to purchase computers and "swag."
The letter also alleges that in 2020, OJJDP awarded Fulton County nearly $500,000 to establish the Fulton County Center of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention. The stated purpose of the center was to provide professional development, academic mentorship, and a community network for young people at risk of becoming involved or continuing in gang activity.
But the letter alleges that, according to reports, the center has yet to open and the "building meant to house it is closed to the public, its gates padlocked."
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)
Willis is leading the prosecution of the sweeping 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and has faced mounting scrutiny for allegedly having an "improper" affair with subordinate counsel.
The senators note that Amanda Timpson, the former Director of Gang Prevention and Intervention for the Fulton County DA Office, reportedly notified Willis that an official in her 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.
Timpson brought these concerns to Willis' attention on November 19, 2021, and two months later Timpson's employment was terminated, the letter says.
The letter also highlights that in 2020, the Fulton County DA’s office received $2 million in federal funding through the Office of Justice Program's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI).
According to OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, the office that administers SAKI, these funds were authorized to "address the issues that underline the problem of unsubmitted [sexual assault kits]" and help law enforcement and prosecutors solve more of these heinous crimes.
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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
"However, data published by Fulton County, from 2020 to 2023 show the Fulton County DA’s office spent approximately 49% of its SAKI funding expenditures on travel and conference expenses, such as hotel, airfare, and rental cars, and approximately 28% was actually spent on professional services, such as forensic and DNA testing," the senators write.
"Moreover, in 2023, the Fulton County DA’s office spent approximately 98% of its SAKI funding on travel and conference expenditures. The apparent and significant discrepancy between the purpose of the federal award of taxpayer money and the actual use of that money raises alarms that it hasn’t been used as Congress intended," they said.
"The waste or misuse of taxpayer funds is unacceptable," the lawmakers said.
The duo asked for a list of all federal grants received by the Fulton County DA since fiscal year 2019, and a complete accounting of all expenditures for each federal grant.
The request includes, but is not limited to, individualized receipts and invoices for expenditures, summaries of conference and travel expenses conflicts of interest screenings, performance measures and outcomes, and all records related to the expenditure of these taxpayer funds and compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, during a Senate Budget Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
They also asked for all records referring or relating to the Fulton County DA’s planned expenditures for each federal grant it received, including but not limited to, any complaints or communications referring or relating to concerns that an expenditure may not be permitted or was inconsistent with the purpose of the federal grant associated with those funds.
This is the second prob the U.S. congress has launched into Willis' office. House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., subpoenaed Willis in February over the accusations of misusing federal funds. She is also under investigation by committees in the Georgia legislature.
The Fulton County DA's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Brianna Herlihy is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
