Ethics Board in Fulton County Cancels Hearing for DA Fani Willis

The ethics board in Fulton County, Georgia, has stated that it lacks the authority to address complaints about Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis.

The board had initially scheduled to hear two complaints against Willis on Thursday related to her secret relationship with lawyer Nathan Wade, who she hired as a special prosecutor for the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others. However, the hearing was canceled and the schedule was amended, as reported by The Hill.

The complaints were filed by Steven Kramer, a resident of Johns Creek, Georgia, and internet talk show host Gregory Mantell. Kramer raised concerns about whether Willis received improper benefits from Wade’s hiring, while Mantell alleged in a Substack post that Willis violated multiple sections of the county ethics code.

During the ethics board meeting, Chair Daraka Satcher stated that the board does not have jurisdiction over the complaints because Willis is a state constitutional officer and not a county official subject to the ethics code, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Satcher mentioned that the State Ethics Commission has jurisdiction over district attorneys, but its focus is primarily on campaign finance and lobbying violations.

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, informed the AJC that the State Bar of Georgia investigates alleged violations of rules of professional conduct for attorneys. The State Bar recently received a request from The American Accountability Foundation to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Willis and Wade for alleged ethical violations.

Skandalakis also noted that the newly established Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission has the authority to enforce rules and standards that it adopts. This eight-member commission was created by the Legislature to oversee the discipline, removal, and retirement of appointed or elected district attorneys.

Mantell stated that he has forwarded his complaint to the commission and a special Senate committee established in January to investigate Willis. This Senate committee recently heard from Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney for a Trump co-defendant, who initially filed a motion to remove Willis from the case after revealing the allegations involving Willis and Wade.