Ohio Republican Senate candidates clash over border security, drone strikes in Mexico
Ohio Republican candidates who are vying to take on Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown clashed over border security and drone strikes in Mexico during Monday’s first statewide debate. Facing off at WJW Fox 8 Studios in Cleveland, businessman Bernie Moreno, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan generally agreed on a few issues, including calling for fully securing the U.S.-Mexico border, but then quickly clashed upon delving into the immigration crisis further. Dolan accused Moreno, who was endorsed by former President Trump, of wanting “to militarize the federal government and deport children” for his stance calling for deporting anybody in the country illegally. LaRose called earlier Monday for President Biden to deploy three military divisions to the border, which Dolan said was irresponsible. “We need to work with the Mexican government, we need to be tough with the Mexican government,” Dolan said. Dolan accused Moreno of previously working with former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s organization to ask for a path to citizenship and residency for illegal immigration. “He won awards in Cleveland for these positions. Now that he wants your vote in a Republican primary, he wants to militarize the federal government and deport children,” Dolan said. “What’s remarkable is that the position that Matt holds today is that we should give amnesty to illegal immigrants. That’s what’s remarkable. Somebody who’s been in politics virtually his entire life still believes that amnesty is the right answer,” Moreno countered before the moderators turned to LaRose. VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR PROMOTES TIKTOK ACCOUNT AFTER SAYING HE HAD ‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’ ABOUT CCP TIES LaRose, who noted he would be the first Green Beret elected to the Senate, defended his support for a strong military strategy and for deporting anybody who came to the country during the Biden presidency. “It’s a full-scale invasion now,” LaRose said. “We must stop the bleeding. And that is something that could be done within a matter of days really. After that, it means building the wall. It means completing President Trump’s wall all the way from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. It also means no amnesty. If your first act in this country is to break our laws, you should never be rewarded with citizenship, birthright citizenship, any government benefits. We don’t want to secure the border because we hate the people on the other side. We want to secure the border because we love our country. And it’s drugs and crime that are pouring across that border. They’re killing our fellow Americans. We must act now.” Moreno, who also opposes birthright citizenship, called LaRose “slick” for couching his support for deportation. When asked if he would support U.S. drone strikes in Mexico, LaRose said, “100%. The definition of a foreign terrorist organization is a group that’s willing to kill our fellow Americans. These cartels are killing over 200 Americans a day with the fentanyl that they’re bringing into this country. We know that this comes from China mixed together in Mexico. We must define these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and use the full force of the U.S. military and the U.S. federal government to kill them so that they can’t kill our fellow Americans.” Moreno ripped LaRose’s comments, arguing that such “irresponsible rhetoric” will encourage Mexico to elect an anti-American president, and instead, the U.S. should work with Mexico to help them wipe out the cartels themselves with the incentive of becoming the United States’ largest trading partner without the threat of “we’re going to indiscriminately bomb you.” OHIO DEMOCRAT EARMARKED A 6-FIGURE AMOUNT TO GROUP THAT PROMOTED ‘DRAG QUEEN SONG AND STORY TIME’ During the debate, Moreno emphasized that he is a “political outsider” — like Trump — running against two “career politicians.” He told moderators Colleen Marshall and Joe Toohey that even a criminal conviction of Trump, who faces four separate indictments, would not cause him to reject the former president’s endorsement. Both Moreno and LaRose described the Trump lawsuits as politically motivated and said there is a two-tiered justice system in the U.S. that targets Biden’s political enemies. The debate moderators noted that Moreno originally posted that Jan. 6 demonstrators were “morons” and “criminals,” then later joined those who described them as “political prisoners.” Moreno said there were two distinct groups of people in question, while Dolan called that an attempt by Moreno to “reinvent himself.” He also took aim at Moreno for shredding documents as he faced wage theft lawsuits in Massachusetts. “Public service is about trust, making sure that you’re going to follow through with what you do,” he said, also accusing LaRose of originally saying Ohio’s elections were secure but later, while trying to woo Trump’s endorsement, saying that they had problems. Moreno, pointing to Dolan, replied, “If you want Liz Cheney to represent you in the United States Senate from Ohio, here’s your choice, because that’s where his position comes from. The reality is it’s sad to see you repeating left-wing liberal talking points.” Cheney, a Republican former House member from Wyoming, has been deeply critical of Trump. Democrats said the debate showed none of the Republican candidates would “fight for anybody but themselves.” “In between every barb and insult lobbed at tonight’s debate, Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan made it clear that they have no interest in fighting for Ohioans or the issues most important to their daily lives,” Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Katie Smith said in a statement. LaRose sought to position himself as the middle-class candidate in a fight against two wealthy opponents. Moreno is a millionaire who made his money building a high-end Cleveland car dealership, and Dolan’s family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team; both have provided millions in loans to their own campaigns. On abortion, all three candidates said they see a role for the federal government in setting a limit — generally around 15 weeks. Dolan was the only one who mentioned supporting exceptions after that point. They said Ohio’s Issue
Rep Donalds makes final pitch for Trump to undecided New Hampshire voters: ‘Pretty clear at this point’
LACONIA, N.H. – Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds spoke to Fox News Digital in New Hampshire on Monday, speaking directly to undecided Republican voters who are on the fence about whether to support former President Trump or former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. “I mean, look, my closing message is this, our party, we’re blessed, we have a lot of talent in our party, but it is pretty clear at this point that the majority of our party wants President Trump in office again,” Donalds told Fox News Digital at a Trump rally. “The vast majority. It’s pretty clear at this point.” Donalds continued, “Secondarily, with how bad Joe Biden has been, we need somebody who can step in on day one. Nikki Haley couldn’t do that, Vivek Ramaswamy couldn’t do that, and Ron DeSantis couldn’t do that. Donald Trump can. This is about the future of our country.” Donalds said that “one thing I love about our country” is that “everybody gets a choice.” FOR HALEY TO TAKE ‘NEW HAMPSHIRE GOLD,’ SHE MUST DO WELL IN THESE CITIES “Everybody gets an opportunity to live their freedom, do what they want, have their voice be heard, cast their vote however they want,” Donalds explained. “But I would urge those people who are on the fence, it’s time for us to unite, because we’re dealing with radicals in the White House who are destroying this country, and we got to unite as a party. We got to be one party so we can fix this country and get it back for not only ourselves, but for our kids and our future.” WILL NEW HAMPSHIRE ‘CORRECT’ IOWA’S VOTE FOR PRESIDENT? TRUMP AND HALEY COULD BE SURPRISED After a convincing 30-point victory in Iowa’s low-turnout GOP presidential caucuses a week ago, Trump is aiming for an encore performance in the Granite State as he tries to bring the Republican nomination race to an early ending. For Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, the New Hampshire primary may be her best and possibly last chance to slow down or derail the former president’s march toward renomination. The final surveys indicated Trump dominating among registered Republicans, with Haley grabbing majority support among independents. Heading into Election Day, Trump holds a 19 point edge over Haley, according to the Real Clear Politics average. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Bharat Ratna Awardee ‘Jan Nayak’ Karpoori Thakur was mentor of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, ex-CM Lalu Yadav
Former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur has been chosen for the country’s highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’.
FIR against Rahul Gandhi, other Congress leaders for ‘damaging’ public property during Nyay Yatra in Assam
The case has been registered against Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders under various sections of the PDPP Act.
Hawaii governor focuses on Maui recovery efforts, housing in State of the State address
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on Monday used his annual State of the State address to lead lawmakers and guests in a moment of silence for victims of the Lahaina wildfire and to propose aggressive steps to shift more vacation rentals into residential use to meet both Maui and the state’s acute housing needs. Those gathered for the speech delivered a standing ovation to two Maui firefighters — Keahi Ho and Koa Bonnell — who traveled from Maui for the governor’s talk, which focused heavily on helping Maui recover from August’s deadly wildfires. “The people of Maui have shown strength in the face of adversity,” said Green, a Democrat. “But the days ahead will not be easy and they will continue to need our support and we will be there for them as long as it takes.” LAST HAWAIIAN PRINCESS LEAVES $100M OF HER ESTATE FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN CAUSES A wildfire fueled by hurricane-force winds raced through the historic coastal town of Lahaina on Aug. 8, killing 100 people and destroying thousands of homes and buildings. Green’s acknowledgment of all those who rushed to Maui’s aid after the fire brought tears to the eyes of state Rep. Dee Morikawa, the House majority floor leader and a Democrat representing the western part of Kauai and Niihau. “It’s just good to know that all of Hawaii is coming together for Maui,” Morikawa said after the address. The most urgent unmet need on Maui is now stable long-term housing for some 5,000 residents who are staying in hotel rooms because they haven’t been able to find affordable places to rent on the island, one of the nation’s most expensive places to live. Green aims for all 5,000 to move into long-term housing by March 1 in part by encouraging owners of vacation rentals to make their units available to wildfire evacuees. He told reporters authorities have about two-thirds of the needed housing units lined up so far. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and charitable organizations will be covering the rental costs. More broadly and longer-term, Green proposed a two-year “tax amnesty” to encourage owners of vacation rentals around the state to sell to owner-occupants or long-term rental landlords. Participants would be exempt from capital gains, conveyance and general excise taxes under this two-year program. Green told reporters afterward he was going to put “a lot of pressure” on short-term rentals because he didn’t believe they were appropriate. HAWAII HIKERS RESCUED, CITED AFTER RUNNING OUT OF FOOD AND WATER ON MAUNA LOA VOLCANO AMID WINTER WEATHER “I don’t want to be rude, but I do want people to realize that that market should be for our local families,” Green said. He noted that workers in a range of fields — including nurses now on strike at the state’s only pediatric hospital — are struggling because of Hawaii’s housing shortage and high housing costs. In addition, Green said he’s asking the Legislature to put $373 million in the budget for infrastructure and housing. “This remains our administration’s top statewide priority,” he said. Green revisited the idea of imposing a fee on travelers to help pay for environmental upkeep after a proposal to do so died in committee last year. The governor suggested charging each family visiting Hawaii a $25 “climate impact fee” when they check in to their hotel or short-term rental. He said this would raise $68 million a year. Democratic House leaders identified common priorities with the governor, particularly on affordable housing, mental health care and climate change. The House Finance Committee’s chairperson, Rep. Kyle Yamashita, said he would have to look at the details of the governor’s tax amnesty plan but indicated he was open to the idea. “At the end of the day, I think we have to look at every option to deal with this issue,” Yamashita said after the speech. “They are affecting residential areas throughout the state. And it’s something that we have to look into more deeply.” House Speaker Scott Saiki said the House would cooperate with the governor. “We need to solve problems in our state, and we need to find solutions that are going to be workable,” Saiki said.
Ernst demands OMB audit every Biden admin head’s schedule after Secretary Austin’s hospitalization
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is demanding the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) audit and publish every single Biden administration agency head’s schedule after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew under the radar for several days while he was hospitalized last month. “I was shocked – as surely you were too – to learn Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spent much of the past month recovering from surgery, which he failed to disclose even to the Deputy Secretary or Commander-in-Chief,” Ernst wrote in a letter sent to the OMB on Tuesday. After an elective surgical procedure, Austin returned to work in a virtual capacity on Jan. 5 while still hospitalized, even authorizing airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. He was released last Monday. Despite being admitted to Walter Reed on Jan.1, the Pentagon didn’t inform the public, press or Congress until Jan. 5. Officials also acknowledged that the White House had not been informed about Austin’s hospitalization until Jan. 4. “If true, this begs the question, is Secretary Austin working from home so frequently that he can disappear into the hospital for an entire week to undergo invasive surgery, and folks simply just think he’s working from home again? When department secretaries do work from home, are they as nonresponsive as someone under general anesthesia?” Ernst probed. DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HAS NO PLANS TO RESIGN, PENTAGON SAYS Ernst argued that during Austin’s hospitalization, Biden vacationed in St. Croix and General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan worked mainly from Missouri, defying the agency’s return-to-office plan with an 11% office space utilization rate. “The Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government state that ‘without a strong tone at the top to support an internal control system… results… may not be… acted upon to remediate deficiencies.’ This principle of risk mitigation and fraud prevention applies perfectly to remote work and telework abuse and fraud,” Ernst wrote. “I am left drawing the unavoidable conclusion that the ‘tone at the top’ across the Biden administration has undercut your efforts. With the new year comes new year’s resolutions. I would encourage yours to be to redouble your efforts to get folks back in the office. That should include agency leadership as well,” she continued. Ernst expects the OMB to respond by Feb. 23 with what additional steps the agency has planned to get federal employees back in the office. “Given the American people no longer trust senior leaders in the Biden administration to be where they say they are, every agency and department head should publish their schedule online,” Ernst wrote. “And since even President Biden can’t trust leaders to be where they say they are, you must audit those calendars, on a quarterly basis at minimum, and let us know if leaders continue to pull the wool over our eyes.” SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD AUSTIN REMAINS HOSPITALIZED AFTER MYSTERY PROCEDURE; DOD REMAINS MUM ON RELEASE Ernst’s letter comes as part of her increased effort to crack down on federal employees who are abusing telework. Last year, Ernst urged the Inspector General to launch a federal investigation into whether some government agencies are overpaying remote workers who receive a Washington, D.C., salary but live in a lower cost of living state – a problem she says was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work spread rapidly as a way to keep some industries afloat during nationwide stay-at-home orders, and government agencies were no exception. However, Ernst said the government is typically inept at keeping track of its workers, leading to “an avalanche” of problems that started years before the pandemic. Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Haley pushes back at Trump suggestion she’ll drop out after NH primary: ‘I don’t do what he tells me to do’
HAMPTON, N.H. – Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says she does not take orders from former President Trump. “I don’t do what he tells me to do,” Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, told Fox News and other news organizations as she took questions from reporters outside a polling station in a coastal New Hampshire town on Tuesday morning. Trump entered Tuesday’s GOP presidential primary in New Hampshire holding a formidable double-digit lead over Haley in the final public opinion polls, and the former president was aiming for another convincing victory after crushing Haley and Florida Gov. DeSantis a week ago in Iowa’s low-turnout presidential caucuses. NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY SHOWDOWN: CAN HALEY SLOW DOWN TRUMP’S PUSH FOR THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION ? DeSantis, who was a distant third in the surveys in New Hampshire, dropped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Trump. HALEY PLEDGES ‘I’M IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL’ IN RACE AGAINST TRUMP At a rally on primary eve in Laconia, the former president noted that “we started off with 13 [GOP White House candidates] and now we’re down to two people.” “And I think one person will be gone probably tomorrow,” he predicted, as he pointed toward Haley. Pushing back against questions from reporters on what percentage of the vote she needs in New Hampshire to continue on to South Carolina – her home state that holds the next major GOP presidential nominating contest on Feb. 24 – Haley said, “We’ll know strong when the numbers come in. It’s not like a certain number. I don’t go there and say, Oh, I have to have this number. I have to have that number.” “And I’m not going to talk about an obituary just because y’all think we have to talk about it,” she told reporters. “I’m going to talk about running the tape and saving this country, I think we have to do it. I’m a fighter. I work hard. And I do it because I love this country. And we’re gonna go and fight until the very last poll closes. And then we’re headed to my sweet state of South Carolina. And we’re gonna make the case there as well.” HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS SUPPORTERS Campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Saturday that Haley will hold a large event in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, the same day that the campaign will launch a $4 million statewide ad blitz. The campaign also told Fox News on Tuesday morning that they have hauled in $1.5 million in fundraising since DeSantis suspended his campaign on Sunday afternoon. “We’re going to South Carolina, we have put in the ad buy. We’re there,” Haley emphasized on Tuesday. “This has always been a marathon. It’s never been a sprint. We wanted to be strong in Iowa. We want to be stronger than that in New Hampshire. We’re gonna be even stronger than that in South Carolina. We’re running the tape.” It is the latest instance that Haley has spotlighted the durability of her campaign. Haley said in a Fox News Digital interview on Sunday evening that she would “absolutely” continue on to South Carolina regardless of her finish in New Hampshire. Additionally, Haley argued in a separate Fox News interview with Martha MacCallum on Monday on “The Story” that “the political and media elite say everybody needs to coalesce around Donald Trump…We don’t believe in coronations in this country. We believe in democracy. I’m in this for the long haul.” Trump predicted another major win on Tuesday, telling supporters at a rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Sunday night, “I think we’re going to have the same kind of result here as we did last week in Iowa.” DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DESANTIS CAMPAIGN However, New Hampshire — where independent voters who make up roughly 40% of the electorate can vote in either major party’s contest and have long played an influential role in the state’s storied presidential primary — may be fertile ground for Haley. The latest surveys indicate Trump dominating among registered Republicans, with Haley grabbing majority support among independents. However, there are likely more Republicans than independents who will vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Moderating temperatures on Tuesday could help what is already forecast as a record voter turnout. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Haley’s top surrogate and adviser in the state, told Fox News that “the Secretary of State has predicted a record turnout. So I think it’d be hard to ask for more than that.” However, he spotlighted that “the number of folks that are saying, ‘Hey, I’ve never voted in a primary before, but I’m coming out.’ That’s a great sign. And that’s not just a great sign in terms of what Nikki can do. It’s a great sign for New Hampshire. It’s a great sign of voter involvement. Everyone wants to get engaged.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Sen. Scott says decision to endorse Trump over Haley came down to ‘one simple question’
LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE – South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday night about why he endorsed former President Trump instead of former Ambassador Nikki Haley even though Haley appointed him to his Senate seat. “It came down to a simple question, who guarantees us the best future for the average American who starts where I started?” Scott told Fox News Digital in New Hampshire while speaking in support of Trump. “I started as a poor kid living in really devastated neighborhoods. I asked myself, the Reagan revolution that transformed my opportunities, who’s best suited for the kids today? Living in similar search situations to have that kind of Reagan revolution?” Scott continued, “I don’t have to look that far in the past, 2016, 2020, we got actually the lowest unemployment, but we had the fastest wage growth for the bottom quintile of our demographics. That is powerful. So if we can have that and world peace, count me in, Donald Trump is the only guy that’s going to do that.” TRUMP VS HALEY: WHERE THEY STAND IN THE GOP PRIMARY BATTLE AND HOW THEY MATCH UP WITH BIDEN Scott announced his support for Trump alongside the former president at a rally Friday evening in Concord, New Hampshire. “We need, you see, we need a president who doesn’t see Black or White. We need a president who sees Americans as one American family,” Scott said. “And that’s why I came to the very warm state of New Hampshire to endorse the next president of these United States, President Donald Trump.” The announcement came despite the long political history Scott shares with Haley dating back to when they both served together in the state legislature. In 2012, then-Gov. Haley appointed then-Rep. Scott to the Senate to fill a vacancy. JESSE WATTERS: THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS RALLYING AROUND ONE MAN “Look, I mean South Carolina is a blood sport and I have dealt with the old guard and the fellas all the time,” Haley told Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Saturday about Scott’s endorsement, adding that appointing Scott as senator was the “right thing to do.” “Everybody has a decision to make and they have to live with their decision. He’ll have to live with his. What I know is, we’re going to continue to go forward. Trump has focused his time on getting as many Washington insiders, elected officials, endorsements as he can, if you notice, I haven’t tried to do any of that,” Haley explained, adding that she won’t receive a lot of legislative endorsements in South Carolina because “that’s not who I’m fighting for.” When asked if he has had any recent conversations with Haley recently, Scott said, “Only texts.” “Honestly, we spoke probably 4 or 5 weeks ago,” Scott said. “We’ve texted. I texted her the day before I made my announcement to tell her that there was an announcement coming soon so that she would not be completely caught off guard.” Haley has denied that Scott reached out to her which his team has pushed back on. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Speaker Johnson says VP Harris wants ‘lawlessness’ at border after she attacked GOP on migrant crisis
FIRST ON FOX: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., returned fire at Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday after she accused Republicans of “playing politics” with the border crisis. “Vice President Harris has had three years to secure the border and stop the open flow of illegal immigrants into our country,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “Yet, when asked about her solutions, she recommended that Congress grant mass amnesty and spend taxpayer dollars to process – not stop – more illegals. Her ‘solution’ is to spend billions of additional taxpayer dollars and incentivize the lawlessness and chaos.” WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS He was responding to a CNN interview Harris gave on Monday, when she urged negotiators working on a border security and immigration deal in Congress to focus on “solutions.” When discussing what those solutions could be, she suggested “meaningful” pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers, as well as “putting resources” toward helping “process people effectively.” “This answer from President Biden’s ‘border czar’ is exactly why the administration can’t be trusted to solve the catastrophe they, themselves, created,” Johnson said. “Their idea is to attract millions more aliens, cause more pain, and further surrender America’s national and economic security.” ‘SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS’: MICHAEL MCCAUL SOUNDS ALARM ON BORDER PATROL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS Early on in the Biden administration, Harris was given the task of finding long-term solutions to the worsening border crisis, specifically the root causes of mass migration from Central America. However, she has not been seen with Senate and White House negotiators on Capitol Hill in recent weeks, as they work to find a bipartisan compromise. Harris declined to directly discuss the current state of those talks. However, when asked about why border security reform has proved evasive for Washington for so many years, she admitted the immigration system is “broken” and pointed out one of the Biden administration’s first bills sent to Congress “included what we must do to create a pathway to citizenship and to put the resources that are needed into the border.” “But sadly, people on the other side of the aisle have been playing politics with this issue,” she said. KEY REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE ‘TRIED FOR TREASON’ When pressed about those solutions, she said, “The solutions include putting resources at the border to do what we can to process people effectively, and putting in place laws that actually allow for a…meaningful pathway to citizenship.” “I will tell you that the negotiations that are happening right now, I hope are going to be directed at solutions that are genuinely focused on fixing the problem,” Harris said. Meanwhile, as those talks continue, Johnson and his House GOP conference have been steadfast in pushing for stricter border security measures than the Senate bipartisan talks are likely to produce. Johnson has so far advocated for policies similar to H.R.2, the border bill that House Republicans passed in May, which include severe restrictions on asylum, and would reimpose Trump administration-era policies like Remain In Mexico. However, the Democrats who control the White House and Senate have panned the bill as a “nonstarter.” The number of people encountered at the border between the U.S. and Mexico last month is expected to have exceeded 300,000, an all-time historic high. Fox News Digital reached out to the vice president’s office for comment.
Georgia Senate Republicans consider special panel to investigate Fani Willis misconduct allegations
George Senate Republicans are vying to create a special panel to investigate misconduct allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. State Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican representing Cumming, introduced legislation Monday to establish the Senate Special Committee on Investigations in response to a series of public reports, court filings and allegations of misconduct involving Willis, whose office is prosecuting the 2020 election interference case against former President Trump and 18 of his allies. Willis was accused in a motion filed earlier this month by attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman, of engaging in an inappropriate romantic relationship with Fulton County special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, an outside attorney who Willis hired for the Trump case. “Today, in response to a wave of concerning reports and court filings regarding District Attorney Fani Willis of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, I am calling for the establishment of the Senate Special Committee on Investigations. The multitude of accusations surrounding Ms. Willis, spanning from allegations of prosecutorial misconduct to questions about the use of public funds and accusations of an unprofessional relationship, underscores the urgency for a thorough and impartial examination,” Dolezal, chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation and chief deputy whip, said in a statement. “We owe it to the public to ensure transparency, accountability and the preservation of the integrity of our justice system.” The proposed legislation, which states, “such relationship, if proven to exist, would constitute a clear conflict of interest and a fraud upon the taxpayers of Fulton County and the State of Georgia,” seeks to establish the Senate Special Committee on Investigations, comprising nine members, with three representatives from the minority party. The committee will be assigned to conduct a legislative investigation and will have the power to administer oaths and to call any party to testify under oath at such investigations, among other responsibilities. JUDGE UNSEALS FULTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S DIVORCE CASE, FANI WILLIS DEPOSITION DELAYED Dolezal’s proposal suggests that legal or budgetary changes could follow any inquiry. The resolution would have to win approval in the Republican-majority state Senate before any panel could be appointed. Also on Monday, the Georgia House of Representatives’ Judiciary Non-Civil Committee advanced a bill that would revive a new state commission to discipline and remove state prosecutors – this time removing the requirement of the state Supreme Court’s oversight of the commission’s rules. State lawmakers had created the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission last year to sanction prosecutors, namely accusing Willis of focusing too heavily on the Trump investigation instead of moving criminal cases through initial hearings that could ease overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail. The initial law hit a roadblock in the state Supreme Court over constitutionality concerns. Merchant alleges that Willis’ office paid Wade large sums and that Willis improperly benefited when Wade then paid for the two of them to go on vacations. A filing last week by Wade’s wife, Joycelyn Wade, in their divorce case includes credit card records that show that Wade bought plane tickets for Willis to travel with him to Miami, San Francisco and Aruba. Willis, in another filing in the divorce case, has accused Wade’s wife of attempting to obstruct the district attorney’s prosecution of Trump and his allies. JUDGE IN TRUMP PROSECUTOR’S DIVORCE CASE CUTS OFF DA FANI WILLIS LAWYER DURING HEARING: ‘LET ME INTERRUPT YOU’ Willis was expected to give a deposition Tuesday in the divorce case, but during a hearing Monday, Cobb County, Georgia, Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson delayed a decision on whether the district attorney will be required to do so until the court first hears from Nathan Wade during an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Jan. 31. Thompson notably cut off Willis’ attorney during the hearing when the lawyer tried to argue the district attorney was too busy with the Trump case to be deposed in the Wade divorce proceedings. “We have questions. I want to know how he’s been spending his money. I have a reason to believe he’s spending it on another woman. That’s my client’s money. And I want to ask questions about that. She’s trying to hide under the shield of her position improperly,” Andrea Hastings, the attorney for Joycelyn Wade, said during the hearing. Meanwhile, Merchant’s motion asks Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to remove Willis and Wade and their offices from any further prosecution of the Trump case. McAfee has the power to do that. In fact, another judge, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, took that step in July 2022 when he was presiding over the special grand jury investigation that preceded the indictment in the election case. Then-Sen. Burt Jones, one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate stating that Trump had won the election and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors, had been told he was a target in the election case. Jones argued that Willis had a conflict of interest because she had hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race. McBurney ruled in Jones’ favor, writing that the situation had gone beyond bad optics and had created “a plain – and actual and untenable – conflict.” He prohibited Willis and her office from prosecuting Jones in the case. If McAfee decides to take similar action and to remove Willis and her office from the election case, it would be up to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find another prosecutor to take the case. That person could continue on the track that Willis has taken, could choose to pursue only some charges or could dismiss the case altogether. McAfee said he expects to set a hearing on the motion in February. The Associated Press contributed to this report.